Appreciation Letter to CARCD from Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association

In July 2023, CARCD hosted an in-person outreach event with the Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association specifically for Chinese speaking farmers in the Bay Area. Many of the farmers who attended are first generation immigrants who do not speak English. At the event, applications for the CDFA California Underserved and Small Producer (CUSP) grant were available in Mandarin and CARCD's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program Manager, Qi Zhou, translated the applications and answered questions. Without CARCD's direct outreach, these farmers would have not been able to know about or apply for these state funds.

As a result of this event, 17 farmers were awarded drought relief grants totaling $108,818. The Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association shared their appreciation for CARCD's efforts with a letter of appreciation which you can find as an attachment below.