Volunteer News | July 29, 2021
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Dear CRC Volunteer,
Summer ReFRESH!
I am currently at my desk, looking outside at an uncharacteristically gloomy July day. It sprinkled last night and this morning, and the wet pavement petrichor smell is pungent and welcomed after the dry spell of the last year. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and we never took sunny days for granted but we may have taken the rain for granted. Roots grow deeper in wet soil, trees are greener, and wild fires less profuse.
I’m not sure I will ever take rain for granted in Southern California and in July it truly feels like a treat! Everything is fresher and ready for the next (inevitable) sunshiny day.
CRC has been the recipient of its own Summer "refresh" this past month. Volunteers have cleaned, painted and provided much needed makeovers and maintenance to our offices, resale stores and housing units. Partners have filled our Food Pantry with fresh, colorful, local produce which gets sorted and distributed by our faithful volunteers. Substitutes filling in for our Food Pantry volunteers, mask-less smiles, and new Resale Store volunteers provide fresh faces in all of our volunteer areas.
Thank you to our committed volunteer team for all you do!
Warmly,
Sara Rosenbaum,
CRC Volunteer Manager
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The Latest Volunteer News |
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A reminder to all volunteers of our current mask policy and vaccination certification:
Below is a simple way to remember the OSHA (and therefore CRC’s) guidelines for staff and volunteers.
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All active volunteers must sign a vaccine certification form, sent out in the middle of July. If you have questions, please direct them to your staff supervisor, your volunteer lead, or the Volunteer Manager.
**Please note that the policies and directives from the San Diego Department of Health can change at any time. CRC will communicate changes as soon as possible. When in doubt, please ask your staff supervisor when you arrive for your shift what the current policy is. Thank you for your patience and support!
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Food Pantry News
Fresh Produce Abounds
Did you know that CRC partners with two amazing non-profits who support our programs by supplying the Food Pantry with fresh produce?
Healthy Day Partners runs a community garden and collects “extra” produce from locals who want to donate from their gardens. Through June of 2021, they have donated just over 2800 pounds of local fruits and vegetables to our Food Pantry!
According to their website, Healthy Day’s goal is “Nourishing and healing people and planet through healthier food systems, ecological practices, and environmental education.”
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Produce GOOD continues to collect “leftover” produce from the Encinitas Farmer’s Markets on Sundays and twice a month delivers it to our Food Pantry. Lately, deliveries have been over 400 pounds! A special “thank you” to Volunteer Carol Brown who shows up faithfully to receive these donations twice a month.
Thank you also to the Food Pantry Volunteers who sort and distribute all of that food!
We are grateful to be able to provide so many healthy and local options to those who visit our Food Pantry for services. THANK YOU!
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EDCO and FNC Zero Waste Goal
EDCO’s new Organics recycling program is launching soon and CRC will be participating in recycling our organic food waste and diverting it from the landfill. Mandatory recycling of organic waste is the next step to achieving California’s Zero Waste goals. EDCO has constructed the first state-of-the-art, advanced technology Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Facility in San Diego County that is capable of processing and breaking down organic waste into renewable natural gas and fertilizer that will serve the needs of our region.
We will have 3 large EDCO bins out in our alleyway now for us to use. Our Recycle bin (Blue), Trash bin (Black) and newly added Organic Waste bin (Green). We will be placing smaller green organic waste bins in the FNC and throughout CRC near the various departments so that you can dispose of your organic waste. These smaller green bins will then get emptied out to our large green bin in the alleyway.
We are excited to start on the path to ZERO WASTE ! 😊
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Coach Visual Merchandising Volunteers
On July 14, Dawn Rodiguez and Melina Rojas, Coach Carlsbad Store Managers, came out to a Resale Store Manager’s Meeting to train CRC staff on best practices for store displays and digital marketing. The training began with high praise from the Coach team to our staff, acknowledging CRC’s recent honor of “Non-profit of the year.”
The one-hour training was informative, interactive and fun! The staff and Coach team worked together to re-do a front display in a summer theme. As luck would have it, there was even a recently donated Coach purse in the store that found a place in the display!
This volunteer opportunity came about in a large part to the “Coach Cares” goal of donating 100,000 volunteer hours around the world by 2025. It was also the compassionate work of CRC staff and volunteers, through our programs, that caught the eye of the Coach staff. Read more here.
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Day of Service: Hope for San Diego |
On Saturday, July 17th, CRC Partner Hope for San Diego sent a group to our Food Pantry to do a little “refresh” of our staff/volunteer bathroom and supply area. They cleaned, painted and switched out the décor to create a more functional and inviting space. CRC Food and Nutrition Manager Yanira Frias says "Hope for San Diego really transformed the feel of the FNC bathroom all just with some paint, décor and labor of love! It now feels like a welcoming space for our volunteers and staff. We so appreciate it!" |
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John Hardin - Facilities Volunteer for our Domestic Violence Program
Congratulations to John Hardin, July Volunteer of the Month! From nominating staff supervisor Heather Johnson:
John Hardin is an excellent volunteer maintenance person who has been volunteering his time and talent in the Domestic Violence program. He always comes to volunteer with a great attitude and is very intuitive and friendly. John’s work is accurate and he is a seasoned maintenance person, who has worked on boats and is part of the Rotary Club. We appreciate all that John has done and is continuing to do.
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Want to support our Resale Stores? Become a store volunteer!
We are always looking for committed, high-energy volunteers to receive donations, sort, clean and provide customer service when needed. Fill out an application here or contact Sara Rosenbaum for more information. You can also support the stores and our programs by shopping at one of our stores – giving back while also getting in some retail therapy! |
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Other Opportunities
We continue to have limited opportunities. However, all of our existing volunteers are hard at work keeping our programs going! Thank you! We will send out email notices as new opportunities come up.
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If you know of anyone in need of food, housing or shelter, please pass along this link to information on how we can help: CRCNCC.ORG/COVID-19
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If you have a good story of volunteering, please share with me at srosenbaum@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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