OXNARD, Calif. – On October 4, 2013, a fire in Oxnard destroyed the homes of several families.
With nearly 75 people displaced in wake of nine buildings being destroyed, an obvious need surfaced for affected families. That need was met by Friends of Fieldworkers, Inc., which, founded three days after the fire, collected clothing, household items, furniture, toys, medical supplies and books, and distributed them to as many of the displaced and scattered families as the organization could locate.
Friends of Fieldworkers operated as a subsidiary of The Abundant Table, distributing contributions of cash and in-kind goods received to families and relatives of the fire victims, from its founding until its incorporation on May 13, 2015. The support of families of farmworkers has continued well beyond those devastating fires.
Executive Director Dr. Martita Martinez-Bravo's work helping continue that outreach is why she was recently recognized as the Rams' seventh "pLAymaker" honoree of 2023.
"Well, it means that the Rams recognize the need to invest in a community that is typically not invested in," Martinez-Bravo said, when asked what it meant to be recognized as a pLAymaker. "And it really brings life to the smiles and to the hearts of so many farmworkers in Ventura County."
