There’s no 30-minute recipe for making tamales, nor is there any quick solution to the healthcare crisis that many low-income workers face. But by invoking the old adage, “Many hands make light work,” both can be made easier—and healthier—when people band together to get the job done.

One person who has been successful on both fronts is Leda Garside, nurse and clinical manager for ¡Salud!, the non-profit organization that has provided medical and dental services to thousands of Oregon’s vineyard workers for the past 20 years. Working out of a mobile clinic, Garside coordinates a volunteer staff of nurses and doctors, who go from vineyard to vineyard performing basic health screenings. “Because of the partnerships we’ve developed with other service providers,” explains Garside, “we are delivering $3 worth of healthcare impact for every $1 we spend.”

Garside’s efforts are supported in large part by the funds raised at the annual ¡Salud! Pinot Noir Auction, held each November. Many of the Willamette Valley’s most prominent Pinot Noir producers donate a one-of-a-kind barrel of their latest vintage so that attendees can bid on cases of the special cuvées.

“There’s an underlying philosophy of helping your own community,” says winemaker Ken Wright, one of the co-founders of the initiative, “but it is also amazing how many times you have a direct encounter with someone who has benefited from charitable generosity—that’s a pretty amazing experience!”

The tamales recipe