In the first half of November, nearly all of Central America and Southern Mexico was impacted by not one, but two of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in that part of the world: Hurricane Eta on November 3 followed by Hurricane Iota on November 17. Both of these storms have been classified as Category 4 hurricanes, with Hurricane Iota being the strongest storm to hit Nicaragua in the country's history. The catastrophic flooding, mudslides, and landslides have claimed dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of homes, and wiped out entire harvests of key food crops that farming families rely on. 

While the total extent of damage is still being tallied, one thing is certain: producers in the most affected countries need our help now. Our industry depends on it.

Our goal will be to send aid to approximately 20 producer organizations in Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala who have been hit the hardest. Please consider supporting in one of two ways, if you can:

1. Donate to the Hurricane Relief GoFundMe

Sustainable Harvest will be matching all donations through our GoFundMe up to USD$20,000. All funds will be sent directly to cooperative leaders to allow them to quickly and effectively disburse aid to their producer members. We will be utilizing the same relief approach that we implemented earlier this year, which you can read about here. 

2. Add a Relief Premium to purchases and commit to early contract renewals

If you purchase coffee from any of these four origins, consider committing to early renewals and/or adding a relief premium to the price per pound. If this is something you'd be interested in, reach out to your Relationship Coffee Manager to set this up early so that producers can secure financing and have accurate projections for the upcoming harvest. 

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In the midst of a global pandemic, this news breaks all of our hearts and is nothing short of tragic. We know that this year has been an enormously tough year for everyone—but we are called to extend whatever help we can when it's needed most.

If you're not in a position to donate to the relief fund, please consider supporting by amplifying this fundraiser on your channels and get the message out there!

#GivingTuesdayNow is a day for us all to come together in a global act of generosity, unity, and compassion. It's a chance for us to remember that we are never truly distanced—that even in this time of separation, we are still one community.

Join us on May 5, 2020 and celebrate #GivingTuesdayNow by showing the producers who form the bedrock of the coffee world that they are not alone. This may be a time of uncertainty, but one thing will always remain certain: we are all in this together. Because only together will we find the strength to be resilient and overcome every crisis.

Learn more at now.givingtuesday.org.