FRESNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Latino Community Foundation (LCF) launched a statewide effort to increase access to information, resources to grassroots organizations, and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine. In partnership with a network of Latino-led organizations in the Central Valley, Central Coast, and Inland Empire, the campaign will invest in culturally relevant resources for COVID-19 prevention and vaccination.
The Latino Community Foundation will invest in grassroots nonprofits who have networks of community health workers (Promotoras) who serve as trusted messengers in the communities where they live and work. LCF will also work with local ethnic media to distribute culturally responsive information, including PSAs, to build confidence and trust amongst Latino families to get vaccinated.
“Our families and community have been devastated by this pandemic. Prioritizing our farmworkers, essential workers, and elders is critical. They have been on the frontlines serving us—now they must be at the front of the line to get vaccinated,” said Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, CEO of Latino Community Foundation. “We must invest in trusted community leaders on the ground and ensure our communities have the resources they need to increase vaccination rates. Together we are going to end this pandemic once and for all.”
Hernan Hernandez, Executive Director of the California Farmworker Foundation said: “The Central Valley is not getting equitable access to the state’s vaccine supply. On top of this, misinformation has created unnecessary distrust for many farmworker families. The investment from the Latino Community Foundation will allow us to host additional mass vaccination drives in Fresno and Kern, where we’ll connect with thousands of farmworkers and their families.”
Luz Gallegos, Executive Director of TODEC Legal Center, said: “We have already vaccinated more than 1,000 farmworkers on site, and we are just getting started. We know that one way to honor the memory of those we have lost is to stop this pandemic once and for all.”
This campaign is especially important for Latino Californians who comprise 90% of the state’s essential agriculture workforce and have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 infections and deaths. Compared with the state’s overall essential worker population, a 2020 report found that Latino essential workers earn lower wages, have less access to health care and are less likely to work from home.
The Latino Community Foundation will invest in trusted, grassroots Latino-led nonprofit organizations such as the California Farmworker Foundation, Community Center for the Arts & Technology (CCAT), Lideres Campesinas, TODEC Legal Center, Western Farmworkers Association and others. This effort will also amplify the importance of testing, the efficacy and safety of the vaccines, and additional measures that protect essential workers and their families.
About Latino Community Foundation
The Latino Community Foundation is on a mission to unleash the civic and economic power of Latinos in California. LCF has the largest network of Latino philanthropists in the country and has invested $15 million to build Latino civic and political power and leadership in the state. It is the only statewide foundation solely focused on investing in Latino youth and families in California. For more info, please visit: www.latinocf.org.
