Wendy's & Publix - Now is the Time!
On March 7th, 2014, I hope to join thousands of farmworkers and their allies for a pivotal, massive action at the Wendy's corporate headquarters in Columbus, OH where we will implore them to join the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food Program. The CIW, a renowned organization of community organizers/farmworkers based in southwest Florida, will be embarking on a ten-day, ten-city tour in March to take farmworkers and allies to Wendy's home state of Ohio, then back to Florida with a stop in Publix's hometown of Lakeland. The CIW is garnering the celebratory energy of their recent and monumental agreement with Walmart to invite Wendy's and Publix to come to the table for justice!
For those of you who do not know, Wendy's and Publix (Florida's biggest supermarket chain) have been resisting joining the CIW's Fair Food Program to provide fair wages and dignity for the farmworkers who pick their tomatoes (check out www.ciw-online.org for more info). I have been absolutely blessed be an ally to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers for the past 5 years organizing actions, participating in strategy retreats and national mobilizations such as this one, and, of course, writing/performing songs for the movement! I hope to be able to afford to join my community for the "Now is the Time" Tour, with guitar in hand, of course!
ALSO, I would love love LOVE if we could together raise enough money to help buy plane tickets for other amazing long-time allies who want to come and help with the action, that would make my heart (and so many others) explode with gratitude!
Help me fly, and you'll get some fly gifts!
In order to participate this year in the CIW's spring tour, I need to raise enough money to cover my transportation costs. The CIW and SFA are generously providing me with food and lodging at no cost (woohoo!) but I cannot afford to both miss a two days of work and pay for my flight to Columbus, OH. Hence, I am hoping to raise $427 to pay for airfare. If I don't reach my goal, or at least 70% of it, funds raised here will go directly to the Student Farmworker Alliance (the CIW's youth/community ally partner organization) to help other allies make it to the mobilization.
When you give $15, you get one CIW sticker, one SFA sticker and a signed thank you card. If you up your generosity just a bit and donate $35, not only do you get the stickers and thank you card, you also get a signed CD of my CIW ally jams! Cool huh ; )?
CIW's Track Record
To put it simply, the CIW is on fire. Since 2001, the Campaign for Fair Food has combined creative, on-the-ground actions with cutting edge online organizing to win Fair Food Agreements with twelve multi-billion dollar food retailers, including Walmart, McDonald’s, Subway, Sodexo and Whole Foods, establishing more humane farm labor standards and fairer wages for farmworkers in their tomato suppliers’ operations. That is simply unprecedented. They are hoping to welcome Publix and Wendy's to the program this spring as #13 and #14!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you cant donate with $$$, follow the CIW and tell your friends about them, learn about their struggle and how they are winning. They the most inspiring change-makers I know and are truly changing the system to work for the people!
