Union County FSA open by appointment

LA GRANDE — The Union County Farm Service Agency is open for phone and email appointments only. To arrange an appointment or for more information, call 541-963-4178, ext. 2.

Registration open for grant proposal blueprint course

LA GRANDE — The Union County Chamber of Commerce in a newsletter announced an upcoming eight-week online grant proposal course offered by the Nonprofit Association of Oregon. “The Ultimate Grant Proposal Blueprint Course: Your Step-by-Step Roadmap and Built-It-Yourself Toolkit for Crafting an A+ Grant Proposal” will run Aug. 24 to Oct. 26. The comprehensive, on-your-own-schedule video-based course is led by Maryn Boess from GrantsMagic U, a veteran grant writer and grant consultant.

The course includes eight weekly video training sessions of about two hours each, which you can view any time, on your own schedule and as often as you like; a detailed session-by-session printable workbook and resource guide to follow along with as you watch the videos; live group Q&A sessions with Maryn; and ongoing personal support, via an “Ask Anything” Facebook community page.

The cost is $197 for NAO members and $297 for nonmembers. Registration is through the GrantsMagic U website: u.grantsmagic.org. Contact support@grantsmagic.org for registration support.

New fund launches to assist Oregon agricultural workers who need to self-quarantine

PORTLAND — A new source of financial assistance for agricultural workers who are self-quarantining to slow the spread of COVID-19 — the Oregon Worker Quarantine Fund — will provide up to two weeks of financial relief to agricultural workers age 18 and older, regardless of federal immigration status. The Quarantine Fund is administered by the Oregon Worker Relief Coalition, working in collaboration with the State of Oregon and the Governor’s Office.

“When people working on farms or in food processing plants are exposed to COVID-19, they have few options to prevent the virus from spreading besides giving up their paycheck,” Ramon Valdez, director of Strategic Initiatives and Relationships at Innovation Law Lab, said in a press release. “The Quarantine Fund will help us contain this pandemic by taking the financial stress off of workers who keep Oregonians fed and agricultural businesses running.”

Most agricultural workers report they cannot afford to take two weeks off to quarantine if they were in contact with COVID-19. Food packing and agriculture worksites are overrepresented in workplace outbreaks tracked by the Oregon Health Authority. Additionally, many in Oregon’s agricultural workforce are immigrants who have been left out of federal relief programs, according to Reyna Lopez, executive director at PCUN, Oregon’s Farmworker Union.

Agricultural workers can apply for relief through local community-based organizations. Such organizations in Eastern Oregon are Oregon Human Development Corporation and EUVALCREE. Additional details about the Oregon Worker Quarantine Funding, including eligibility and application process, are available at bit.ly/q-fund and bit.ly/fondo-cuarentena.