It Only Takes a Quarter: Highlight on Hunger | | |
Dear CRC Volunteer,
Some of you know that I grew up in a food insecure home. One of my formative memories involves going through a drive-thru for a burrito with my mom. This was a very special treat, and we had saved up enough change to get only one burrito to share between us. I remember just as we were nearing the window to pay, my mom dropped a quarter underneath the middle console of the car. We panicked. My mom joked that she might have to step on the gas and leave the burrito behind, but we were able to reach the coin in time. We paid and enjoyed our meal, but I still remember the stress I felt.
I think of the power that the one quarter had on us in that moment, and how so many of us take for granted that we have the means to grab a post-surf burrito, or simply put food on the table, without worry.
As we continue our three-part training series on CRC's mission focus areas of healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships, this month we highlight food insecurity in our city and what we can do about it. Did you know that CRC's Food and Nutrition Center provides an average economic benefit of $450 a month to families? That means that with the money they save on groceries obtained from our food pantry, they are able to focus those funds on things like rent, utilities, transportation or medicine. If a quarter can make a difference, how much can that impact a home?
Read below to learn more. It is a lot of information, so feel free to scroll past things as needed. Pay special attention to the links to the September Hunger Action Month Calendar and this month's Empathy Challenge.
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Warmly,
Sara Rosenbaum, CVA
CRC Volunteer Manager
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CRC's Food Program Key Terms Defined
FOOD AND NUTRITION CENTER (FNC): This is our term for the CRC Food Pantry. It communicates our desire to be more than just a place to hand out food, but rather to empower choice while also encouraging healthy choices.
LEADS: The term for volunteers who provide leadership for an FNC team, Monday-Friday. They communicate, schedule, train, and support.
CLIENT CHOICE: Clients are given "points" based on household size and need and are able to "shop" for items they want. The FNC assigns a higher point value to food with lower nutritional value, but we still allow the client to choose. If a parent wants to bake a boxed cake mix for their child or buy a sugary cereal, we want them to have that option, just as we have that option.
FRESH RESCUE: CRC partners with local grocery stores to receive donated fresh, perishable and frozen food items. The items may be considered too close to the "best by date" for store customers but are still good. This provides nutritious food for our clients and also keeps items out of the landfill. Some examples of stores we receive items from are: Sprouts, Lazy Acres, Trader Joes and Vons, with our full list of partners here. We also have a team of dedicated volunteers who ride along with our truck driver to load and unload the donations from the stores into our Food Pantry.
FOOD PARTNERS: CRC partners with Produce Good, an organization that gleans leftover food from local farmers and donates it to Food Pantries and other non-profits. We receive donated produce twice a month from this program and it is supported by volunteer Carol Brown. We also receive fresh produce directly from Coastal Roots Farm and from Healthy Day Partners.
| | How CRC is Addressing Hunger | |
CRC provides:
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Case Management: Individualized support to assist participants toward security and stability.
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FNC Encinitas Access: *6,211 people received food from our client-choice pantry in 2024.
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Expanded Food Pantry Access: We have a small food pantry of non-perishable food to our Carlsbad office location and at One Safe Place, the North County Family Justice Center. We have also acquired a food truck, currently still in production, to deliver food to those unable to get to our locations.
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Nutrition: *More than 650,000 pounds of rescued, perishable food was distributed in 2024.
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Health and Well-Being Programs: Food assistance, CalFresh and benefit enrollment.
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First Light Program: Allows those experiencing homelessness to grab a quick and healthy meal (pre-packaged) with fruit and toiletries (when available). This is volunteer run and is available M-F 9-10:30 am.
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Commodities: CRC is a USDA Commodities distribution site for North Coastal County.
*Information taken from the 2024 Annual Report. Click below to read the entire report, filled with great information on the work that CRC does.
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Food and Personal Care Drives
The CRC FNC is currently in need of personal care items. For the most current list, you can check our website page here.
Donate Money
Your monetary donation has greater impact as we can access discounted food from the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego. Any donation you give makes you a valuable partner in our work! You can donate here.
Volunteer
CRC offers deep cleaning opportunities for groups of 10-20 people at our FNC. This is a great way to help us provide the best experience for those coming to us to shop! You can inquire more here.
Advocate
Follow CRC on social media and share with your friends! And, on September 9th, you can wear orange for Hunger Action Day! Take a photo, share some stats that you learned in this newsletter, and help make a difference. Be sure to email your photo to us so we can share as well.
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The Kids are Alright...
This month, teens from The Light Church and NCL Surf Cities jumped in to support our mission! The Light crew spent August 1 volunteering at our Resale Store, and NCL teens (with their moms!) gave our Food Pantry a deep clean. We love seeing young people in our community step up, make an impact, and bring their energy to support neighbors who need a little extra help.
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Congratulations to CRC's Volunteer of the Month: Lucyann Leonard!
Lucy is a reliable and thoughtful member of the Resale Store team who brings both skill and kindness to her work. She quietly keeps the store running smoothly by straightening merchandise, ensuring accurate pricing, assisting with dressing rooms, and stepping in at the register when needed. Always ready to cover extra shifts, Lucy is supportive to staff, helpful to customers, and a joy to her fellow volunteers—often showing up with homemade treats to share. As Diane, nominating staff person shares, “She’s always pleasant and nice to the employees and the other volunteers.”
Thank you, Lucy, for your many years of service to CRC!
| | Holiday Baskets is Coming... | | If you are starting to think about the holidays and how you can give back, so are we! Please note that Holiday Baskets planning is underway and we will start the scheduling process beginning sometime in September. We will communicate any donation or fundraising needs next month as well. Keep an eye out! | |
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Each month, CRC CEO John Van Cleef writes a blog post, highlighting the work and the values of our organization. This month, John outlines why we live in a time when community support matters most for our neighbors.
It's a great way to learn more about CRC and to go a little deeper into the "why" of what we do! This month, he focuses on YOU our volunteers and the incredible value you bring to CRC and to our community.
| Learn More from the CRC Newsletter! | |
The volunteer newsletter primarily highlights the work that our volunteers are doing and provides training and updates that apply to the volunteering experience. The CRC newsletter focuses on client stories, CRC in the news, mission updates, and fundraising opportunities. If you would like to receive that newsletter, you can sign up for it here.
You can also check out the most current newsletter, full of great information, below!
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If you have a good story of volunteering, please share with me at volunteer@crcncc.org. I can include those stories in future newsletters as an encouragement to our team.
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Community Resource Center
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