Mask giveaway for farmers, farm workers planned this week

Agricultural commissioner’s offices in the Yuba-sutter area are planning a second mask giveaway for farmers and farm workers this week.

Earlier this month, both ag offices distributed approximately 40,000 masks to members of the local ag industry. The surgical masks are meant to help provide protection to farm and other ag-industry workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The agricultural industry is the underpinning to our local economy, and we need to do all we can to make sure the people who work at our local farms and ranches are protected during this season of COVID-19,” said Lisa Herbert, Sutter County ag commissioner, in a press release.

The giveaway is part of an inter-agency effort between both counties, the California

Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the California Office of Emergency Services.

This week’s free giveaway is planned for Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Sutter County

Agricultural Commissioner’s Office – 142 Garden Highway, Yuba City. Attendees are asked to pull into the facility’s north parking lot to be directed to the distribution area.

For more information, contact the Yuba County Ag Commissioner’s Office at 749-5400, the Sutter County Ag Commissioner’s Office at 822-7500, or the Yuba-sutter

Farm Bureau at 673-6550.

“Especially with the state of California mandating the use of facial coverings, we’re happy to be able to provide these important tools to our hardworking farm community,” said Stephen Scheer, Yuba County ag commissioner, in a press release.