200 Emergency Kits Prepared For Napa Valley Residents In Need

NAPA, CA — In keeping with its commitment to give back to the local community, Jackson Family Wines, the family-owned parent company of Freemark Abbey, Cardinale, Lokoya, La Jota, Mt. Brave and Galerie in Napa Valley, recently partnered with Napa Valley Community Organizations Active in Disasters to prepare 200 emergency kits for local distribution.

According to a news release, the kits were prepared Aug. 1 as part of the company's annual global sales meeting. More than 200 members of the sales team and members of the Jackson family gathered at the company's Oakville Winery, 7600 St. Helena Highway, to assemble 200 backpacks with emergency items, such as survival blankets, first-aid kits and dust masks.

The kits were then donated to COAD, a local collective of nonprofit organizations formed following the 2014 South Napa Earthquake and 2015 Lake County Fire and Calistoga sheltering response.

Donating the emergency kits was part of the company-sponsored Rooted for Good program, which supports employees' efforts of giving back to their local communities, said Katie Jackson, senior vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Jackson Family Wines.

"This initiative was created to provide aid to our neighbors in the Napa Valley, a community we have been part of for nearly 30 years," Jackson said. "Following the earthquake and fires in recent years, providing emergency kits is one way we can help support disaster preparedness and relief in this region."

COAD, whose goal is to improve community resilience and effectively utilize vital resources to help residents prepare and recover from a disaster, will distribute 100 of the kits to Community Action Napa Valley. CANV serves 450-plus Meals on Wheels a day to seniors and those with access and functional needs.

COAD Director Celeste Guinta said the other 100 kits will go to families served by Community Resources for Children — CRC — whose mission is to advocate for and provide resources for the early care and education of Napa Valley children.

Over the years, Jackson Family Wines, an international collection of 40 wineries and brands founded in 1982 by Jess Jackson, has supported nonprofit organizations such as Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, St. Helena Hospital Foundation, Napa Valley Education Foundation and various other organizations through the family's participation in Auction Napa Valley.