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Supporting Our Community
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Agriculture is an integral part of any thriving community, and Farm Credit West puts its money where its mouth is—right back into the community which supports it.”
Robert Hansen, Director, Farm Credit West
Each year, through donations and paid staff volunteer days, Farm Credit West supports dozens of organizations that serve the most vulnerable in its communities. Last year was no exception.
In 2019, FCW contributed nearly $30,000 to 19 food banks in its service regions across the state, including capital campaigns for food banks in central California and Yolo and Imperial counties for new buildings and other improvements and expansions.
More recently, in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Farm Credit West donated an additional $120,000 to 30 local food banks to bring relief to those suffering food shortages in the wake of the pandemic. The decision to contribute was simple, said Mark Littlefield, President and CEO of Farm Credit West.
“Farm Credit cares about the most vulnerable in our communities, because in essence we are our communities,” Mark said. “Contributing during this crisis is our way of supporting the most vulnerable among us.”
In addition to monetary contributions, FCW staff volunteer their time and talents to helping service organizations across California and Arizona succeed. The association is so committed to caring for its communities, it provides every staff member with three paid days each year to do volunteer work.
Elizabeth Baker, Vice President, Credit in Woodland, is one of several employees there who has participated in gleaning and other volunteer activities for the Yolo County Food Bank, like cutting sweet potatoes for planting and packing boxes for Thanksgiving dinners.
Farm Credit West supports food banks and blood drives through staff volunteerism and monetary contributions. “It’s fast-paced and fun to do as an office or alone—it makes you feel good to do the work,” Elizabeth said. “We support the food bank monetarily, so it’s an organization that Farm Credit West has wholeheartedly backed. It’s a good relationship.”
But Farm Credit West doesn’t limit its support to agriculturerelated activities. Recognizing that a strong community makes strong customers, the Association contributes to community service organizations around the state, including cleanup programs in Yolo County, park rebuilds in the cities of Woodland and Winters, and blood drives—some of which are facilitated by FCW staff themselves.
In 2018, Andrew Houtby, Vice President, Credit, in Tulare, was driving to work when he heard a radio advertisement for a blood drive in his community. Realizing that one of the biggest barriers to donating blood is usually time away from work and family, Andrew was inspired to work with FCW and Blood Mobile to organize a drive at the branch. The first blood drive, held in December that year, drew 26 employees participants. In 2019, the quarterly drives at the Tulare office collected more than 50 units of blood, enough to save up to 150 lives.
Andrew’s approach has been modeled in the Paso Robles/ Templeton branch and headquarters office in Rocklin.
“I used to donate, but it comes down to time, and having Blood Mobile come to our office makes it easier,” he said. “It’s definitely nice that Farm Credit encourages us to do community service kinds of things. It gives our staff a sense of accomplishment in giving back to the community.”
At Farm Credit West, our staff are committed not only to the customers we serve, but also the communities where they work and live. In 2019, staff volunteered their time to engage in community improvement projects. In Yuba City, staff partnered with SayLove, a local nonprofit organization supporting the Yuba and Sutter counties, to sponsor a community-wide clean-up event. Following the event, Farm Credit West hosted lunch for the volunteers. In Winters, Woodland branch staff volunteered to rebuild a local community park.
Working to Help our Communities Thrive
Above, Farm Credit West Yuba City staff participate with SayLove to clean up illegal dump sites in Yuba and Sutter counties. Below, Farm Credit West staff volunteer to rebuild Winters' community park playground.
Making the Holidays Brighter for Disadvantaged Children
Farm Credit West partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots by hosting drop-off locations at our branches last winter. For the several weeks leading up to the end-of-the-year holidays, staff collected new, unwrapped toys to be donated to children less fortunate. To ensure the success of this program, many employees freely donated their time and resources to coordinate the collection program.
Santa Maria branch staff joined all of Farm Credit West in donating hundreds of toys to the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots donation program last winter.
Providing Disaster Relief Support When disaster strikes, it can be devastating to the agricultural community. Farm Credit West believes it is critical to respond quickly and in a significant way to provide financial assistance to farmers and ranchers impacted by natural disasters. Historic flooding devastated the Midwest last year, causing destruction and hardship to farms, families and communities. Although the impacts of the floods were widespread, the flooding damage in Nebraska and Iowa was extensive. Farm Credit West, along with other associations, supported flood victims through contributions to the Nebraska Farm Bureau Disaster Relief Fund and Nebraska Cattleman Disaster Relief Fund.
Staff Volunteer Paid Time Off As part of our commitment to communities, Farm Credit West provides up to three days of compensation for every staff member who elects to volunteer their time. Across our territory, employees are active in using this program to become more involved with humanitarian efforts. Last year in Tempe, Arizona, staff volunteered at the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, an organization with the mission to help women achieve self-sufficiency and provide for their families. On the Coast, staff donated their time to work at Courtney’s House, a resource center for adults with developmental disabilities.
Community Involvement Our involvement in annual events that draw the community together extends beyond just monetary contributions. In 2019, staff donated thousands of hours to assist in organizing various events. In Santa Maria, staff participated in a local fashion show, the benefits of which supported children with disabilities. In Woodland, staff volunteered their time to organize the Art Farm Gala through Yolo Arts, a local art show featuring images of local farms and ranches that serves as a fundraiser for the arts and land preservation. Dozens of other events occurred throughout our lending territory in part due to volunteer hours contributed by our staff.
Some participants of Courtney’s House, a resource center for adults with developmental disabilities on California’s Central Coast.
Above, Santa Maria Staff volunteer as judges at the local pumpkin contest. Below, Woodland staff volunteer at the Art Farm Gala.
Whether by gleaning fields for the local foodbank or donating turkeys for a Thanksgiving feast, Farm Credit West staff go above and beyond to serve their local communities.
Donating Time to Help Feed Others
As a lending institution focusing exclusively on supporting the agriculture industry, we support efforts to reduce food shortages impacting families in our local communities. Last year, Farm Credit West Woodland staff visited local fields donated by farmers to the Yolo County Food Bank to harvest the remaining crop. In addition, on Thanksgiving, Farm Credit West matched turkey donations provided by the Santa Maria staff to the Santa Barbara County Food Bank.
