Support Farmers Impacted by the Wildfires
How are you doing, during this time of fires and smoke? It has felt like quite a marathon here in the Bay Area over the past few weeks. We hope you’re staying safe and healthy, and we wanted to share a bit about what these days have been like from our perspective.
As you may know, the fires have had a major impact on our farming, fishing, and ranching communities. At least 9 farms and ranches in Bolinas, Capay Valley, Pescadero, and Santa Cruz that sell at AIM markets had to evacuate their land or were unable to harvest due to dangerous, smokey conditions. For farmers, even just a few missed days can disrupt the season’s planting schedule, or mean that valuable produce does not get to the market. It makes us appreciate even more all the hard work and skill it takes to produce local, sustainably grown produce year-round that nourishes us and the land.
The good news is that all 9 of those farms have been able to safely return to their land and attend the farmers market. So much respect for the firefighters and others who have made this possible, and who continue to work on the frontlines of this disaster!
AIM has succeeded in keeping our farmers markets, Rollin’ Root, and Bounty Box open as a safe place for producers and shoppers - though not without experiencing some unique challenges. Late August, AIM’s usual Thursday Marin Civic Center market location was converted into a temporary evacuation site, in the event of a mass evacuation from Woodward Fire. Thankfully mass evacuation has not been necessary (knock wood) and our one-time move to the to the County Jury Parking Lot worked out just fine. A huge thanks to our staff who worked VERY hard to make this a success, and to everyone who came out despite the change! (We’re now back at our regular location.)
Of course, the crisis is not over. We’re concerned for farmworkers in the area who are being exposed to dangerous air pollutants and heat, or have their livelihoods threatened by business closures - all during Covid-19. Farmland continues to be impacted by fires that are not 100% contained. Please join us in supporting the California Family Farmer Emergency Fund, providing critical funds for farmers impacted by wildfires, created by our friends at the California Alliance with Family Farmers: https://www.caff.org/2020firefund/.
We’re sending you so much love and support during these times. Please take care of yourself, stay hydrated, masked up, and connected to loved ones as you can! Thank you for being an important part of our AIM community. Our markets remain open, and we look forward to seeing you there!