Georgia farm and food workers can receive a one-time $600 direct payment in federal relief from the U.S. Department of Agriculture until October of next year.
The payments stem from a USDA initiative announced in 2021 called the Farm and Food Workers Relief. The goal is to funnel $670 million to these workers across the country by October 2024.
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“Farmworkers, meat packing workers, and grocery workers overcame unprecedented challenges and took on significant personal risk to ensure Americans could feed and sustain their families throughout the pandemic,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said when the program was first announced. “They deserve recognition for their resilience and financial support for their efforts to meet personal and family needs while continuing to provide essential services.”
The USDA partnered with several nonprofits and one tribal entity to extend federal relief across the country. The National Center for Farmworker Health teamed up with Latino Community Fund Georgia in June 2023 to reach Georgia farm workers and alert them to the payments. The center received $36 million in federal funds to distribute to workers, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
LCF Georgia received a total of 81 relief applications as of July 5. The applications came from Georgia workers in Tift, Colquitt, Echols, and Coffee counties.
To be eligible for the Farm and Food Workers Relief program, workers must provide an ID and proof that they were employed as a farm worker or a front-line food worker at any point from January 2020 to May 11, 2023, when the Biden administration ended the COVID-19 public health emergency. IDs can be in the form of a driver's license or foreign passport, and farm workers can include those employed in meatpacking industries or grocery store work.
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Farm and food workers do not need to show proof of U.S. citizenship or legal status to receive the funds.
Workers who believe they are eligible for the Farm and Food Workers Relief program or want more information can contact Latino Community Fund Georgia at (678) 705-2057 or email info@LCFGeorgia.org.