{"id":3083,"date":"2012-12-20T10:46:16","date_gmt":"2012-12-20T17:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=3083"},"modified":"2020-02-24T14:24:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T21:24:30","slug":"draft-cdfa-charitable-efforts-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2012\/12\/20\/draft-cdfa-charitable-efforts-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Drawing Inspiration from CDFA Employees\u2019 Charitable Efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Secretary<\/a>

Secretary Ross (left, foreground) visits the staff at the department’s Plant Pest Diagnostics Center.<\/p><\/div>\n

As we gather with loved ones over the winter holidays, so many of us are fortunate not only to have family around us but also to have so much good food to share. As Californians, we are\u00a0blessed by the variety and quality of fresh, nutritious food that our farmers and ranchers provide. They do it year in and year out, rain or shine, and they do it so dependably that we often take it for granted.\u00a0 We should not, of course \u2013 and this holiday season is an excellent opportunity to take stock of our good fortune and share it with those who are in need.<\/p>\n

I recently took a quick trip around the Sacramento area to visit staff at several of our local offices, sharing a cup of hot cider or a potluck lunch with each group. The food was excellent (what else would you expect from a bunch of aggies?), but what impressed me the most was that each office I visited had chosen a local charitable organization to \u201cadopt\u201d or support. Some collected food items for the annual State Employees Food Drive which partners with California Foodlink; others donated toys for the California Highway Patrol\u2019s local \u201cCHiPs for Kids\u201d program; a group of employees at one of our lab facilities was busy fulfilling a wish list from the Sacramento Children\u2019s Home; another site was helping to supply a soup kitchen down the street; at our downtown office, employees on one floor were collecting socks for a local homeless shelter and another floor was gathering donations for the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The spirit of giving in this organization is tremendous, and I\u2019m proud to be a part of an agency that understands the power of goodwill in action.<\/p>\n

While I greatly enjoy being\u00a0California\u2019s agriculture secretary, and most of my days are good ones,\u00a0that day was one of the best since I began this job. In a state where an estimated 15 percent of our households don\u2019t know where their next meal might come from \u2013 where more than one in 10 children are considered \u201cfood insecure\u201d \u2013 we have a duty as individuals, as farmers, as public servants, and as an agricultural community to be a part of the solution.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve included several photos of our employees and the fruits of their charitable efforts below. Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season, and a special thank you to all of our California farming and ranching families\u00a0for all\u00a0they do.<\/p>\n