$600 check for farmworkers: who will receive it and how to request it
In several US states, $600 checks are being delivered to certain workers in the agricultural and food industry. We explain who is eligible and how to apply.
Thanks to the Food and Farm Worker Relief Grant Program (FFWR) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), certain workers can receive a payment of $600.
USDA awarded approximately $667 million in grants to 14 non-profit organizations and one tribal entity. This is using funds from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The purpose of this program is to defray the costs of workers incurred in preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the covid-19 pandemic.
$600 check for workers: who will receive it and how to request it
The $600 relief is awarded in different states through 14 different non-profit organizations. Organizations have already started receiving applications. Although there is no specific deadline, as it depends on each organization, the process will continue in some states until 2024.
Who is eligible?
The people eligible for the FFWR $600 payments are frontline agricultural, meatpacking, and grocery store workers during the period of January 27, 2020 through April 11, 2023 , date of end of the coronavirus emergency declaration in the United States.
Requirements to apply
Workers must provide sufficient proof of employment at a food processing facility, meatpacking facility, or farm. Workers must also provide sufficient proof of identity to the apply for funds and proof that they worked during the coivd-19 pandemic. When approved, eligible workers will receive their $600 payment.
This may interest you: These are the states that are still sending stimulus checks: payments of up to $1,500
How to request the payment of $600?
Payment must be requested through the appropriate non-profit organization for your state:
- Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Inc. (farmworkers and meat packers): Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Texas.
- Catholic Charities USA (farm workers and meat packers): California, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Washington.
- Cherokee Nation: (farm laborers and meat packers): the 14 counties of the Cherokee Nation.
- Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc: (grocery store workers): Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas.
- Community Resources and Housing Development Corporation: (farm workers and meat packers): Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Utah .
- Hispanic Federation, Inc: (farm workers and meat packers): Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida (Central), Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Utah, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington.
- La Cooperativa Campesina de California: (farm workers): California.
- National Center for Farmworker Health: (farmworkers): California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma , Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington.
- National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association: (farmworkers): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri , Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
- Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (farm workers and meat packers): Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island , Vermont, West Virginia
- Todec Legal Center Perris (farm workers and meat packers): California: Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
- UFCW Charity Foundation, Inc.: Meatpackers: in all 50 states / Farmworkers: Arizona and New York / Grocery store workers: Georgia, Kansas and Missouri.
- UFW Foundation (Farmworkers): 50 states
- United Migrant Opportunity Services/ UMOS, Inc. (farm workers and meat packers): (farm workers): Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin
- United Ways of California (farm workers and meat packers): California
Her is the directory with each of these organizations, as well as the web portal to request relief from the Grant Program for Agricultural and Food Workers (FFWR).
For more information, visit the FFWR web portal.