San Jose Earthquakes join with 4 clubs to support farm workers

On Wednesday, to commemorate Cesar Chavez Day, five professional soccer clubs in California — the San Jose Earthquakes, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Sacramento Republic and Oakland Roots — announced they would be teaming up to bring support to farm workers in the state.

The teams will be raising money, and encourage the public to donate today, here, with all proceeds raised to be matched by the clubs. The money raised will go the United Farm Workers Foundation, which will use it to provide support for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and to help get farm workers vaccinated.

“It’s a privilege to bring together Californian soccer teams to honor the legacy of Cesar Chavez and the amazing work of the UFW Foundation,” said Earthquakes director of community relations Rahul Devaskar in a statement. “This collaboration creates an amazing opportunity for us to come together and use our platforms to uplift the farm working communities that continue to keep all of us fed during these difficult times.”

According to the release about the news: “According to recent studies, farm workers are not only more likely to be infected with COVID-19, but they are also more likely to die from it. In response to these findings, UFW Foundation began hosting vaccination events throughout California where thousands of farm workers have already received the COVID-19 vaccine since the first weeks of March.”

This is a worthy cause to bring together all of these clubs, especially on Cesar Chavez Day. With farm workers a vital part of the workforce, but largely ignored and invisible to those of us who do not live in agricultural areas, they struggle to make a quality living at all, never mind the effects of the pandemic.

If you are a farm worker or know someone who is: Vaccinations are available to all farm workers 18 years or older at no charge. No health insurance or doctor’s note are required. Farm workers are encouraged to call the bilingual toll-free call centers of UFW Foundation (661) 501-4280 to see what vaccination events are near them.

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