Catholic Charities Diocese Monterey is providing direct financial relief to eligible farmworkers in the counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and San Luis Obispo.
The Farm and Food Worker Relief (FFWR) is a program of the United States Department of Agriculture. The purpose of this program is to provide direct financial relief to eligible field workers, meatpacking workers, livestock workers, and grocery store workers who worked any length of time from January 27, 2020, until the declaration of the end of the COVID pandemic. This funding is available to any individual who worked on the front lines in agriculture or meat production industries over the past two years.
Thanks to funding from the United States Department of Agriculture, Catholic Charities is offering qualifying farmworkers one-time assistance of $600. Catholic Charities is only providing assistance to those in the farmworker industry.
Funds provided are not taxable, and documentation status is not requested. Individuals can only receive funds one time through one agency.
Eligibility
To apply for the Farm and Food Worker Relief program, an individual must provide: 1) Proof of Identification; and 2) Proof of Employment in one of the five pre-approved agricultural occupations under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.
Proof of Identification
To be eligible for the Farm and Food Worker Relief program, you must provide one of the following forms of proof of identification.
- Any state-issued identification card
- Any state-issued driver’s license
- Passport (from any country)
- An international identification document
- School identification card
- Work identification card
- H2A/H2B visa;
- Matricula Cosular or,
- A non-photo identification
Proof of Employment
To be eligible for the Farm and Food Worker Relief program, you must provide one of the following forms of proof of employment.
- Pay stub
- Earning statement
- Recent bank record showing payroll direct deposit
- Federal income tax statement
- Letter offering employment/written attestation
- Photographic evidence (at the worksite)
- State tax statement, or,
- Written attestation (with prior USDA approval)
Standard Occupational Classification Codes
To be eligible for the Farm and Food Worker Relief Program, you must be employed under one of the following occupations.
- Graders and Sorters, in Agricultural Products (SOC 45-2041)
- Agricultural Equipment Operators (SOC 45-2091)
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (SOC 45-2092)
- Agricultural Workers, All Other (SOC 45-2099), or,
- Packers and Packagers, Hand (SOC 53-7064)
Catholic Charities Diocese Monterey offers this service and others at all of our locations. Please call to set up an appointment at office nearest you (please note the limited hours at our Hollister, Greenfield, and Paso Robles offices)
The Farm and Food Worker Relief program is a nationwide program of the United State Department of Agriculture. An individual may only receive this direct financial assistance relief once over the length of this program and cannot apply with another organization. Other organizations administering this program include:
Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc.; Catholic Charities USA; Cherokee Nation; Community Resources and Housing Development Corporation; Hispanic Federation, Inc.; La Cooperativa Campesina de California; National Center for Farmworker Health; National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association; Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture; Todec Legal Center Perris; UFCW Charity Foundation, Inc.; UFW Foundation; United Migrant Opportunity Services/UMOS, Inc.; United Ways of California; Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.; and UFCW Charity Foundation, Inc.