A Thanksgiving Message from our CEO

2020 has been an extraordinary year….unexpected, stressful, but also inspirational. How can the year’s events be inspirational you might ask? We have witnessed amazing acts of courage, genuine care and compassion, and a compelling reason, if we needed one, to recommit and double down on our mission to serve agricultural worker families. As critical and essential workers, they are the unseen heroes…we see and benefit from the fruits of their labor, but do not always see behind the produce shelves…the hands, bodies, faces of men, women and children. There is no remote work for them - no Zoom meetings – no guarantees for paid sick leave, or unemployment. In our insular world, we may take for granted the abundance of food, the ample supply of fruits and vegetables…we have not suffered scarcity…we have not gone hungry. 
 
We are thankful for “Our Abundance: Thanks to Their Labor”- also the title of one of my favorite NCFH commemorative artwork pieces. Skillfully painted  in 2010 by Kauila Clark, whose spirit may no longer walk among us physically, but who lives within our hearts, the image gently reminds us of the strength, dignity and inspiration reflected in the labor of farmworkers across the country.
 
This painting adorns my wall…it is inspiring! Kaulia is inspiring! Farmworkers are inspiring!
 
2020 is extraordinary…it should propel us to do more…to serve better…to find solutions…to work harder…to strengthen our partnerships….to raise awareness…and to raise our voices for those who are silent or unheard. We need to shout our thankfulness and blessings to America’s agricultural workers from the rooftops!
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 ​“Gracias a Su Trabajo” soy bendecido.

--Sylvia Partida
​    President & CEO

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