Farmchella Fundraiser for Farmworker Supplies

Farmworkers are the backbone of our nation's agricultural industry, harvesting a staggering one-third of the country's vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts from California alone. Despite their pivotal role in feeding our nation, farmworkers remain among the most marginalized and disenfranchised communities, often facing significant barriers to accessing essential healthcare services, particularly in the face of extreme environmental risks.

Agricultural work is entangled with so many environmental dangers, including excessive sun exposure, pesticide and chemical exposure, polluted air, and physical hazards. Oftentimes, our farmworker community is left to their own in finding and acquiring the expensive and inaccessible attire and equipment to protect them from these risks. This is a public health issue. Our community faces an increased overwhelming threat of heat-related illnesses, respiratory issues, musculoskeletal conditions, and numerous conditions associated with pesticide exposure such as cancers, reproductive harm, and neurological toxicity. Education surrounding these topics cannot be left without actually creating an accessible manner of providing the supplies needed to combat these risks. Our goal is to provide farmworkers with the protective equipment necessary to work in a safe and healthy manner

LA Cosecha was founded in the fall of 2023 as a beacon of advocacy within UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, answering a pressing need for an organization dedicated to advocating for the health rights of farmworkers. The mission of LA Cosecha is to increase allies fighting for equitable healthcare for farmworkers by increasing awareness amongst future healthcare providers on the health plights of farmworkers and simultaneously work to expand access to preventative healthcare resources available to farmworker communities surrounding the greater Los Angeles. Our vision is to create opportunities in which future healthcare providers can work in partnership with farmworker communities while simultaneously providing information and resources to support their healthcare needs.

Our next partnership takes us to Farmchella, where we will be facilitating preventative health education programming on heat related illnesses, bystander CPR and providing farmworkers with essential protective gear for the job they do day in and day out.

Please consider donating to help fund supplies, equipment, and attire for the community that picks our food and gives us so much. We accept donations through GoFundMe as well as Venmo (@denise-jimenez-2). For any questions regarding donations or to learn more about La Cosecha, please feel free to reach out via Instagram @LaCosechaOrg.