SANTA ROSA, Calif. (June 13, 2022) – Five years ago, the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation responded to the devasting Tubbs, Nuns and Pocket wildfires by establishing an emergency recovery fund to provide housing and financial support to nearly 450 vineyard employees and their families who suffered losses from the unprecedented disaster. Since 2017, the Foundation has continued its Resiliency & Recovery fund, recognizing that the impacts of climate and global health issues continue to face the Sonoma County region and community. The Grape Growers Foundation plays a unique role in being able to support vineyard employees through the trusted relationship employees have with their employers.
Since 2017, the Foundation has raised more than $2 million to provide direct support to vineyard employees following emergencies for rent, financial assistance, providing for lost wages, and distributing gift cards to purchase new household items, food and supplies. With summer heat now hitting the region and the ongoing drought, the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation has announced today it is making its Resiliency & Recovery Fund a permanent offering moving forward.
“We are very proud of the Foundation and our ability to provide emergency support to our skilled vineyard employees and their families who are critical to the continuation of sustainable farming in Sonoma County. The Foundation took this action now so that vineyard employees and their families can take comfort in knowing there is a safety net available to them in the event of a future emergency situation,” said Duff Bevill, Chairman of the Grape Growers Foundation. He added, “We believe being a financial safety net and resource complements the incredible workforce development opportunities we also create through the foundation. In essence, the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation is the leading resource for both support and career development for our local vineyard workforce.”
The Foundation has never turned down a request for help from a vineyard employee. For more information about the Foundation, visit: https://www.scggf.org/