Dear Members,

November is a month of change. The changing of the leaves, the changing of the weather, the changes we see around our communities as our winter produce season starts to get busier and busier.  As the days noticeably get shorter, workdays get noticeably longer and more hectic as the boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables arrive in your warehouses, destined for stores and restaurants and ultimately dinner tables across North America.

November is also when people in the U.S. come together to celebrate a day of thanks.  In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated a national holiday called Thanksgiving, and for over 150 years, this tradition has been marked by celebration, food, family, friends, tradition, and coming together. It’s a pause in this time of change to look around and be thankful for the bounty and abundance in our lives.  Because of you, families across our country will sit down to share a meal, eating the squash, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers or melons that your growers so carefully cultivate and that you so carefully send to markets.

In this month of Thanksgiving, we would like to give thanks for you and your dedication.  Day in and day out, you and your staff show up, work hard, and bring food to families, friends, and neighbors across this country.  This year has been especially challenging with the coronavirus pandemic and balancing concerns of the safety and health of your employees and their families and the need to ensure that people find food on the shelves to nourish their families. You prove again and again that you meet these challenges with the best of who you are as a community.

Thank you for your generosity, your dedication, your willingness to go above and beyond to help others in need, your friendship, your leadership, and your support of this industry.  The staff of the FPAA is honored to work for you and your teams, and we are thankful for the strong community you help create through your commitment to your fellow association members.