Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund Responds to Hurricanes Helene and Milton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 29, 2024

CONTACT:
Camille Jewell
202-248-5460
cjewell@vancomm.com

Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund Responds to Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Chipotle donates $250,000 to support family farm relief efforts in the Southeast

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — As farmers and ranchers in the Southeast deal with the historic impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Farm Aid has activated its Family Farm Disaster Fund to provide immediate aid to family farmers in the affected regions. Chipotle made the first major donation to the Family Farm Disaster Fund, in the amount of $250,000.

“Immediately following Hurricane Helene, which devastated farmers in the western part of my home state of North Carolina, and again after Hurricane Milton, Farm Aid connected with farmers and farm organizations across the Southeast. Many farmers lost everything — and some still don’t have power, running water and other basic needs. Their resilience is tremendous but so is their need,” said Farm Aid’s Program Director Shorlette Ammons. “Family farmers can’t wait the months it takes for disaster assistance to come. To lose one more farm to another hurricane or climate-related disaster is one too many.”

For nearly four decades, Farm Aid has stepped in quickly after natural disasters to assist farmers and ranchers. Catastrophic rainfall, flooding and wind damage from these hurricanes have wreaked havoc on farmers who already struggle with the many challenges of agriculture that lead to financial, legal and emotional stress. Farm Aid’s hurricane relief efforts will focus on family farmers and ranchers who have lost their barns, livestock, crops, fields, pasture and other essential farm infrastructure. Farm Aid will also support farmers who were spared major damage but suffered economic losses due to closures of grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets and other outlets.

“We encourage companies across all industries to join us in supporting the Family Farm Disaster Fund during this exceedingly challenging time for farmers in the Southeast,” said Chipotle Chief Brand Officer Chris Brandt. “American farmers are the lifeblood of this country and the faster we can help them recover, the faster their communities can heal.”

Every dollar raised by the Family Farm Disaster Fund will support local and regional organizations in the affected areas working on the ground to distribute emergency grants to farm families and to offer resources that help farmers navigate their farm recovery options. Local and state farm service providers are also available to help farmers access mental health support, as well as help farmers apply for federal disaster recovery funds and resources, focusing on the small and diversified family farms in the region that often fall through the cracks of such programs.

Farm Aid will continue working with partners in disaster-affected areas to determine the long-term needs of impacted farmers and ranchers. If you are a farmer who has been affected by the flooding and destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, please call Farm Aid at 1-800-FARM-AID, and visit farmaid.org/hurricaneresources and farmaid.org/disaster for a list of available resources. To donate, please visit farmaid.org/disasterfund.

When farmers contact Farm Aid, our goal is to connect them with helpful services, resources and opportunities specific to their individual needs. Organization resources include the 1-800-FARM-AID Hotline (available in both English and Spanish), a form to request assistance online, a search tool to connect with hundreds of organizations providing guidance, our own Farm Resource Guides built from our decades of experience and more.

Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Margo Price host an annual festival to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. For nearly 40 years, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $80 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

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