WOODLAND, CA (MPG) - Yolo County farmworkers and their families are invited to the first annual Yolo County Farmworker Day Resource Fair on August 25, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event will take place at Woodland Community College’s Community Room. The goal of this event is to bring together neighborhood organizations and community partners to inform farm workers and their loved ones about the various types of support they can receive throughout the year. The nature of farm work is seasonal, and unfortunately, not all individuals who experience adverse effects from this are able to access available benefits.

YoloWorks!, the Yolo County Workforce Innovation Board, and the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency are collaborating to host this event, which is sponsored by Supervisor Angel Barajas’ Community Benefit Fund. The event will feature forty local organizations offering support to the local farmworker community and promoting various resources, including food assistance, counseling, health and medical care, legal support, safety and housing, child and family services, youth development, labor rights, employment, vocational training, and public benefits. Additionally, the Yolo Food Bank will be supporting this event through food box donations, and Yolobus has donated bus passes for those who plan to take public transportation to the resource fair.

On October 4, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 721, officially recognizing August 26 as California Farmworker Day on an annual basis. The significance of this day lies in honoring the vital contributions of farmworkers within the state. Especially, the approximately 8,000 farmworkers employed in Yolo County, who play a pivotal role in bolstering the region's agricultural economy.

Throughout a span of five months, from October to March, which constitutes the off-season, a substantial portion of Yolo County's farmworkers face unemployment. To cope with this seasonal unemployment, many of these farmworkers seek unemployment benefits after the conclusion of their work during the farming season. However, not all of them meet the eligibility criteria for obtaining such benefits. Consequently, these individuals are compelled either to diminish savings during the off-season or to seek alternative employment opportunities elsewhere.

Farmworkers can register in advance at tinyurl.com/FarmworkerResourceFair or www.yoloworks.org. For more information about the event, please contact Rodrigo Lopez by phone at (530) 702-1790 or by email at [email protected].