Dear John,

This past year has been an extraordinary one for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program and its model of Worker-driven Social Responsibility, marked by unprecedented growth and exciting new milestones achieved that would not have been possible without your partnership and support! To match this extraordinary year, we have an extraordinary opportunity. Now through December 31, 2024, every gift will be matched thanks to the generosity of the NoVo Foundation. We need your help to reach our $2 million goal, and every dollar gets us closer.  Help us kick off this campaign today, on Giving Tuesday!

Since this time last year, the CIW’s Fair Food Program has nearly doubled in size, both domestically and on the international front, meaning thousands of more workers today enjoy the program’s proven protections, and work in an environment of dignity and respect, than did just one year ago.  And at the same time, the FFP and the WSR model have continued to win recognition as the new gold standard for human rights protection in global supply chains, including the remarkable acknowledgment by the United States Department of Agriculture of the FFP as the highest, or “Platinum”, level of human rights protection in the US agricultural industry.  And those two developments — the continued expansion of the CIW’s work on the ground, and the growing recognition of the CIW’s work as a powerful new paradigm for human rights in the 21st century — work together in a virtuous, reinforcing cycle to drive the ongoing prevention of longstanding human rights abuses that have haunted our country’s fields, from sexual harassment and assault to modern-day slavery, for generations.   

The impact of these efforts is evident in the lives we’ve touched and the communities we’ve strengthened, as one farmworker stated:

“I worked here ten years ago, and it was a very abusive environment. We were rushed to work harder all the time, and we were yelled at and disrespected. We felt beaten down, nervous around our supervisors, and worked almost like slaves. We had no one to complain to about this abuse, so nothing ever changed… I heard from friends that continued to work at [the farm] that things had changed, and I came back to work… The environment here is so much better; we have everything we need, from gloves to bathrooms to water and shade, and if we have a complaint… Workers here are now treated with respect, like human beings.”

To sustain and build on this momentum, you can double the impact of your donation—thanks to the NoVo Foundation-- and help us continue our vital work domestically and internationally. 

“The importance of this pivotal moment cannot be overstated. CIW’s transformative model has proven its power to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers in the U.S. and abroad. But they need our help in supporting this exponential increase in demand for their efforts, CIW has challenged the food industry — long notorious for gross violations of human rights in its supply chain — and has realized great success. This organization exemplifies the best of stakeholders working together towards a more equitable future,” Peter Buffett, Co-President of the NoVo Foundation said.

As we look to the road ahead, we are inspired by the dramatic progress we’ve made. At the same time, we are also aware of how much remains to be done in the rest of U.S. agriculture, as well as with the many, many workers who have already requested our support in building their own WSR programs -- from fishers in the UK, to sugar plantation workers in India, banana plantation workers in Ecuador and tomato workers in Spain, to name just a few. And finally, we are also very aware of the challenges we will surely face just to hold the ground we have already won, including the powerful new headwinds that will soon be facing organizations like ours right here at home.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to enhance your giving. Together, we can continue to build a new day of human rights in agriculture and beyond. We look forward to growing and achieving even more together in the coming year. 

Sincerely,

We apologize if this message crossed paths with your gift. If you have already made a gift, we thank you for your support, and you may disregard this message.