The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team with support from the West Valley College Men’s Soccer Team are raising $20,000 to supply holiday care kits for farm worker families in Salinas that will be handed out at 2 p.m. on Thursday in Salinas by the United Farm Workers and UFW Foundation. The Quakes Foundation, charitable arm of the club, is funding the give-away of the holiday care kits to an estimated 300 families at the UFW/UFWF’s Central Coast Farm Worker Center, 118 East Gabilan St., Salinas 93901.

The new state pandemic order makes a gathering with farm workers soccer team members inadvisable so the three groups are opting for the Thursday distribution of packages containing cultural food products, sports equipment, winter clothing and debit gift cards. The Earthquakes are teaming up with three team sponsors—Arteagas, SoccerKraze, and LuxBus America—to make the effort happen.

“We have been aware that issues around food security are very complex and that supporting our farm working community is a critical component of tackling food insecurity,” said Earthquakes Director of Community Relations Rahul Devaskar. “Farm workers are everyday heroes who are often overlooked, especially during these unprecedented times. That’s why this holiday season, with support from our team partners, the Quakes are proud to extend our philanthropic giving with UFW Foundation by delivering care kits to farm working families in need.”

“Farm workers are being devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic even as they serve as essential employees on the frontlines by keeping America fed,” said UFW Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres. “That is why we are grateful for this generous donation the San Jose Earthquakes is making. This aid will help us continue to provide vital emergency relief assistance to farm working communities that are suffering from economic and food insecurity.”

“The Earthquakes’ generosity could not be more timely as Salinas Valley farm workers labor to supply the fresh fruits and vegetables Americans will enjoy on their holiday tables,” added UFW President Teresa Romero. “What a tragic irony in this time of crisis that the people who produce this great abundance of food frequently don’t have enough to feed their own families.”

In efforts to assist 100 more families, the Quakes Foundation has created a GoFundMe page to raise an additional $10,000 by Dec. 17. Donations will help cover for extra family care kits. For more information or to donate, click here.

This campaign is another effort towards Pledge74, the ongoing company-wide initiative to combat hunger in the South Bay. Pledge 74 has now raised over $200,000 and committed over 740 volunteer hours. To learn more about Pledge 74, click here.

About the UFW Foundation

The UFW Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, advocates for labor rights and protections for farm workers across the U.S. and provides educational outreach and critical services such as serving as the largest provider of immigration legal services to low-income rural California communities. During the pandemic, the UFW Foundation has distributed more than $17 million to more than 33,000 immigrants and farm workers. Some 189,000 restaurant-prepared meals, close to 50,000 food boxes and 800,000 masks, have also been distributed in rural communities. For more information, visit https: www.ufwfoundation.org

About the United Farm Workers

The United Farm Workers of America is the first enduring and largest farm worker union in the United States. It has negotiated and renegotiated union contracts covering vegetable, berry, mushroom, wine grape, tomato, dairy, citrus and poultry workers in three states and won landmark legislative and regulatory gains protecting all California farm workers, both union and nonunion, including first-in-the-nation overtime pay and protections against heat illness and pesticides. For more information, visit www.ufw.org

About the Quakes Foundation

The Quakes Foundation is the San Jose Earthquakes’ charitable arm, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.  The foundation facilitates and supports programs that produce positive change for children and families in the community with an emphasis in health and fitness. The Quakes Foundation strives to cultivate the game of soccer within the diverse communities of the Bay Area and promote unity through sport. For more information, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/community.

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