Help the CIW bring thousands to the Concert & Parade for Fair Food!

[hupso title=”Help the #FairFoodNation pack the buses heading to @CIW’s Concert for Fair Food!” url=”http://bit.ly/ciw-concert-donate”]

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Paging the Fair Food Nation:  Help us raise $15,000 for 2015 spring action!

Worker_Woodward_2_sm2014 was a big year for the Fair Food Program.  Really big.  

The year began with the the signing of the historic Walmart agreement, bringing the world’s largest retailer into the Fair Food fold, and ended with the Fresh Market agreement, bringing the total number of participating buyers to thirteen and the total sales represented by those buyers to nearly one trillion dollars.  

The Fair Food Program itself entered its fourth season in operation across more than 90% of the Florida tomato industry and began the process of expansion into new states and new crops.  The FFP launched a beautiful new Fair Food label, which made its first appearance in Whole Foods’ produce aisles and will soon be displayed in several more participating retailers’ stores across the country.  The CIW’s Worker-driven Social Responsibility model received unprecedented recognition — from both former President Clinton and President Obama — as a model that would forever transform the landscape of human rights for low-wage workers; the documentary “Food Chains” debuted in theaters nationwide to critical and audience acclaim; and the Alliance for Fair Food was reborn with vibrant Fair Food Committees from the east coast to the west and everywhere in between.

To honor a year that big — and to convey the even greater potential for more progress in the months and years ahead — this year’s spring action was going to have to be the biggest yet.  And so the idea for a Concert & Parade for Fair Food was born.  We would gather the Fair Food Nation for a single day in March for a true celebration, a day-long mix of nationally-recognized musical artists and stunning artwork designed to reach out to new consumers and forge new alliances, energizing and fortifying the Fair Food movement for the challenges of 2015 and beyond. 

And because we wanted everyone — from all the dedicated allies who have fasted and marched alongside the CIW for years (some, for decades) to the many thousands more who may be new to the idea of “Fair Food” —  to be there, without worrying about whether they could afford a ticket, we decided to put the concert on for free

2And so we need your help.  

We are aiming to raise $15,000 to underwrite the very-real costs of the buses and caravans that are preparing to trek from the wintery north and from points all around the state of Florida to join us in sunny St. Petersburg for the Concert — and today, we have an exciting opportunity to double whatever we raise.  

A generous donor has offered to match the Fair Food Nation’s contributions to the Concert — so if we make our $15,000 goal, we will receive another $15,000 on top of that, and that will directly translate into thousands of more students, faith groups and community leaders being able to join us on March 21st!

You can help us ensure that the Concert and Parade for Fair Food reaches its full potential.  If you’re able, please consider contributing today.  And when you’re done, help us spread the word of this crucial fundraising effort far and wide by taking a moment to share it on Facebook, on Twitter, and with your personal network.  Here are just a few sample tweets, to get you started!

Support the @CIW!  Help me bring thousands to the Concert for Fair Food on 3/21! #CFF15 http://bit.ly/ciw-concert-donate

Help the #FairFoodNation pack the buses heading to @CIW’s Concert for Fair Food! http://bit.ly/ciw-concert-donate

I support #HumanRights for Farmworkers, in FL & beyond.  Do you?  http://bit.ly/ciw-concert-donate

In 2015, we must build an even-wider base of committed, conscious consumers willing to lend their voices — whether it be in the streets, in the produce aisles, or in the classroom — to the growing call for farm labor justice.  The market power behind the unprecedented reforms taking shape in Florida’s agricultural industry today begins with you, with consumers at the very top of the food market who, by the tens of thousands, have let the retail food giants know that the time for Fair Food is now.  With your donation, you can help us grow the Fair Food Nation.  Click here to learn how you can help.