NAPA, CA (December 29, 2020) – In the face of this year’s challenges, Napa Valley Grapegrowers (NVG) and the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation (FWF) have maintained a steady focus and commitment to supporting the community through challenging times.
In 2020, the organizations provided vital information and resources to grape growers, vineyard managers, vineyard workers, and their families. Together, NVG and the FWF:
- Formed a COVID-19 Taskforce to implement a multi-media, cross-county PSA campaign, including daily PSAs aired on Univision and Azteca, a 4-month digital billboard campaign, and a podcast, “Cuidándonos de COVID-19 con Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation”, to educate the community on COVID-19 health & safety
- Distributed 2,500 COVID-19 Health & Safety Kits to grower and vineyard teams; the kits included a personal thermometer, thermal water bottle, cotton bandana, 9 ounce bottle of hand sanitizer, protective eyewear and anti-fog spray, drawstring bag, and an educational handout on safety protocols in the workplace
- Contributed funds toward staffing and supplies for the St. Helena Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Mobile Testing Van, which visited vineyard sites and provided accessibility to tests for up to 200 farmworkers daily
- Provided four months of free childcare for children of farmworkers through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley; the program covered all fees and provided the children with meals and remote learning support
- Distributed 15,000 reusable cloth masks and 25,000 N95 masks to Napa Valley’s vineyard workforce
- Provided a bilingual library of resources, educational materials, and timely webinars to inform the community about the spread of COVID-19
Through our work, millions of farm-working families have had access to bilingual COVID-19 safety information.
Even as exciting news of vaccines reaches us, we know that there is still more work to be done to carry our community to the other side of the pandemic. Under Napa County’s new stay at home order, agriculture remains an essential business, allowing for vineyard operations to continue. As the situation evolves, so do the resources that NVG and the FWF provide. This includes newly released updates to NVG & FWF’s COVID-19 Safety Protocols that, throughout the pandemic, have provided the farming community with the most comprehensive industry standards for prioritizing the health and safety of vineyard teams. Winter work will pick up again in January, so NVG and the FWF are focused on providing Napa County grape growers and vineyard managers with “Back to Work” safety protocols, tools to reinforce safety best practices to reduce virus transmission, a “Safe Holiday” PSA about avoiding non-essential travel and gatherings, paycheck stuffers promoting health and safety, as well as timely webinars on updates to state and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health mandates, and more.
NVG and the FWF are looking ahead to the new year with plans to do even more, extend our educational reach, and continue to serve as go-to resources for the Napa Valley grape grower and farmworker communities.
For more information about NVG and FWF’s 2020 COVID-19 response, view the 2020 Annual Report or visit www.napagrowers.org
About Napa Valley Grapegrowers
NVG is a non-profit trade organization that has played a vital role in strengthening Napa Valley’s reputation as a world-class viticultural region for 45 years. Its mission is to preserve and promote Napa Valley’s world-class vineyards. NVG represents 685 Napa County grape growers and associated businesses.
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About the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation
Founded by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers in 2011, the mission of the Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation is to support and promote Napa Valley’s vineyard workers through education and professional development. The Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation is the only one of its kind in the United States, providing educational opportunities, advanced training programs, leadership and management classes, English literacy programs, and much more. To date, the Farmworker Foundation has offered education and professional development opportunities to more than 21,000 vineyard workers and their families.
Visit Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation and follow on Facebook and Instagram
