Trusted Messengers Supporting Farmworker Families
Project Duration: August 2024 – July 2025
The Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula (CERV) was awarded a $15,000 grant in September 2024 as part of CAL FIRE’s Statewide Climate-Related Wildfire and Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Support Grant Program. The initiative, titled “Reaching Out to Vulnerable Farmworker Families,” is focused on increasing wildfire preparedness among Monterey County’s farmworker communities.
A Community-Powered Initiative for Wildfire Safety
This project is rooted in the power of peer-to-peer communication. It deploys a cadre of trained, bilingual trusted messengers—many of whom come directly from local farmworker families. These messengers conduct outreach through:
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Direct phone calls and in-person conversations
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Distribution of culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate emergency materials
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Spanish and Indigenous language messaging (primarily Mixteco)
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Collaboration with local schools, clinics, and food banks
Through these trusted networks, the project seeks to:
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Build wildfire preparedness knowledge in farmworker communities
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Distribute accessible, linguistically appropriate emergency materials
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Connect families with local emergency services and alert systems
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Establish sustainable peer-to-peer information networks
Empowering Farmworker Communities in Monterey County
The outreach team uses Spanish, Mixteco, and English to deliver important messages on wildfire prevention, evacuation planning, and emergency alerts. Their efforts are increasing awareness and strengthening trust—ensuring that vulnerable families are not left behind in emergency communications.
Impact Highlights:
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Trusted messengers are conducting safety and wellness calls
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Participation in local community events is ongoing
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Emergency materials are being distributed across multiple platforms
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Partnerships with local service providers are expanding access to preparedness tools
By empowering trusted community members to share life-saving information, this CAL FIRE-funded initiative is helping to protect those most at risk during California’s growing wildfire seasons.
