City of Indio offering gift cards, free PPE to encourage participation in 2020 Census
With just over one week to go before the 2020 Census deadline, the city of Indio is ramping up efforts to encourage participation.
Volunteers are hosting a series of “Final Countdown” events across the city. Residents can stop by any of the following locations and fill out a short census questionnaire. Participants will receive a $10 Stater Brothers gift card and a box of free face masks.
| Sept. 23, 24 & 25 | 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 81673 Hwy 111 (Towne & Country Center next to El Super) |
| Sept. 22 (Tuesday)Drive-thru MQA | 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | 42900 Jackson St. (24 Hour Fitness parking lot) |
| Sept. 24 (Thursday)Drive-thru MQA | 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | 42900 Jackson St. (24 Hour Fitness parking lot) |
| Sept. 26 (Saturday)Drive-thru MQA | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | 42900 Jackson St. (24 Hour Fitness parking lot) |
The annual census is directly tied to how much federal funding a city will receive for infrastructure, education and health programs. It’s also directly linked to representation in government. Over two thirds of Indio’s population is Hispanic, and an undercount of already underrepresented diverse communities will deprive those communities of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Indio’s census participation remains one of the lowest in the Coachella Valley, with less than 54% of residents responding.
City staff and their families are also helping Census staff by walking through neighborhoods in low response areas providing door hangers in English and Spanish, urging completion of the Census.
Visit Indio.org/2020Census for more information on scheduled events as well as up-to-date figures on Indio’s response rate.
