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Volunteer Update
March 29, 2021
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Dear CRC Volunteer,
It's been quite a year ... In March of 2020, COVID hit the U.S. and our Resale Stores closed for two months. Our Food Pantry lost 60% of its volunteer team in April and May during the most uncertain months of the pandemic lockdown. The CRC Tea went online. The Postal Food Drive, expected to bring in 24,500 pounds of food for our Food Pantry, was cancelled in May. Holiday Baskets became a drive-thru event and required a fraction of our normal volunteer force.
And yet....
- Younger volunteers stepped into the gaps in the Spring and family units volunteered to keep the Food Pantry running.
- CRC Volunteers gave an average of 17 hours in 2020 compared to 11 hours average donated time in 2019. They worked hard and showed a strong commitment despite the challenges.
- As an essential service, CRC continued to provide resources to the community throughout 2020. Volunteers provided the primary workforce for the Food Pantry and the Resale Stores.
- Volunteers shifted to virtual and at-home support – from stuffing envelopes, to administrative work, to making calls.
- Volunteers became donors. They sewed and donated face coverings, hosted birthday fundraisers and neighborhood food drives and took donations to the Resale Stores in record amounts.
For more ways that CRC, our partners and our volunteers made a difference in 2020, see our recently published Annual Report.
Gratefully,
Sara Rosenbaum,
CRC Volunteer Manager
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The Latest Volunteer News |
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CRC says goodbye to Mike and Janet Taetzch
Longtime CRC volunteers Mike and Janet Taetzch are heading to New York to live closer to grandchildren. Janet has been a part of the Food Pantry volunteer team since 2010, and she and Mike have worked together as the Holiday Baskets “Bike Captains” since 2014. That is 18 years of combined service, compassion, leadership skills and time to CRC. From the thousands of families who have received crucial food support, to those who received holiday bicycles, to the staff and volunteers who have worked alongside of them, CRC says “Thank you!” To see their reflections on their time at CRC, check out the full story on our website.
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Senior Food Delivery Program
Our Senior Food Delivery Program began last April for participants not able to safely come to the Food Pantry. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped deliver food. We recently rolled off volunteer Kiva Barry (thank you, Kiva!) and brought on Vicki King to join the team. Welcome, Vicki! |
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Vicki King delivering food to seniors in need |
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Resale Stores Volunteers
The San Marcos Resale Store welcomed back ATP (Adult Transition Program) Volunteers for the first time since we had to close the stores last Spring. We have seen an upswing in students from local schools looking for community service hours as well. We are excited to start welcoming back more students and our partner programs. |
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CRC staff member, Mary Cunningham, at our San Marcos Resale Store |
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Thank you, Tea Committee Volunteers
CRC’s 26th Annual Tea Fundraiser is coming up on Saturday, April 24th. We are grateful to our CRC Tea Committee Members who are hard at work planning a fun and beautiful event that also supports CRC’s many programs. While there are no volunteer opportunities available at this time, please consider joining us as a guest!
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CRC Tea Committee volunteers meeting on Zoom |
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Congratulations to Helena Zheng!
Helena filled out an application with CRC in January of 2020 and started volunteering with the Monday morning Food Pantry team in February 2020. Little did she know that everything would change shortly after due to COVID-19. Helena continued to serve on Monday mornings throughout 2020 and to the present, even with the constantly changing protocols and the uncertainties that the year brought. Helena is one of the first to step in when a sub is needed for other shifts. She is a consistent, hard working and cheerful volunteer who represents CRC well. Thank you, Helena!
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Photo Submissions and Video Help!
The CRC Volunteer Program is collecting photos from the last 10 months of volunteer and non-volunteer related events in your life! We will use these for a compilation video in May (and we like to plan ahead). If you have photos you’d like to share, email them to srosenbaum@crcncc.org. Please include the subject line “Volunteer photos/your name.” If you forget, don’t worry...we will remind you again!
Do you know your way around iMovie or another video editing tool? The Volunteer Program needs someone to help put together videos for the upcoming (Virtual) Volunteer Appreciation Event! If interested, contact Sara at srosenbaum@crcncc.org for more details. |
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Virtual Event Help
Do you enjoy event planning and want to be part of the planning committee for the upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Event being held May 13? Commitment will involve one virtual brainstorming session, at least one zoom “test” meeting and possibly helping collect items for an optional goodie bag. If interested, contact Sara at srosenbaum@crcncc.org for more details. |
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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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Domestic Violence Advocate Training
June 4, 11, 18 & 25, 2021
Learn from experts presenting on the dynamics, danger and effects of intimate partner violence in our society and how to support and empower survivors in their healing. Learn more and register here
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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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