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Dear CRC,
The sun was partially blocked by the moon on Monday, April 8th and I had 8 pairs of solar eclipse glasses. So of course, I shared ...
... With the staff from both the downstairs and upstairs offices, our truck drivers coming and going with food donations, our volunteers assisting clients and stocking shelves, and clients waiting for their number to be called. A mom with her daughters, two gentlemen experiencing homelessness, a Ukrainian refugee couple, and an elderly woman all ooohed and ahhed with me in the front of the Food Pantry. While in the back of the building, a few minutes prior, I was enjoying the celestial view with co-workers and volunteers.
While it may have been a small thing, it filled my heart to experience a shared moment with our eclectic CRC family. Sometimes, those are the moments that truly matter.
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and one thing I appreciate most about CRC volunteers is your willingness to walk alongside people, to humanize those we serve, and to do whatever is needed to support our mission to provide healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships as best as we can. Whether you are directly working with clients at our Food Pantry, the Resale stores or at Holiday Baskets, or play a supporting role, you are a part of the bigger picture. Thank you for filling our hearts with your kindness and generosity.
Please read below the words of a Food Pantry Client who shares the impact a moment can have, and the words of some of your fellow volunteers.
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Gratefully,
Sara Rosenbaum, CVA
CRC Volunteer Manager
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"Morning in the Food Pantry" by a CRC Client
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Director of Social Services, Karen Gascar, shared some incredible words at the CRC Tea Fundraiser on April 20th. They speak to the moments created at our Food Pantry each week and to the volunteers and staff who make it happen. Your hours matter, but it is your heart that creates impact.
From Karen:
Our doors are open to everyone, including seniors on fixed incomes, asylees and refugees who are navigating new surroundings, and parents who have recently faced job loss but remember the support we provided them in the past.
I’d like to share with you part of a poem crafted by one of our clients as an expression of gratitude for the services we provide.
It’s titled “Morning at the Food Pantry."
“There is so much thankfulness in the air.
I feel it around me, almost everywhere.
In peoples’ faces it shows so clear
Exactly just why folks are all here.
The Encinitas Food Pantry is open today
Feeding the hungry in a beautiful way!
Homeless or hungry? It doesn’t really matter.
The volunteers here put you up on a ladder.
So kind and helpful in helping you choose
Making you feel that you are the good news!”
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National Volunteer Appreciation Week | |
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CRC staff is sincerely grateful for your partnership in the work we do! We hope that this past month you have seen our social media posts in your honor, and the "Thank you" banners at our stores and our Food Pantry. We want to shout it out that you are appreciated!
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CRC held its 29th annual Tea Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20th at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. Volunteers came out to help deliver auction items, set up, sell raffles, serve drinks, oversee the auction, register guests, and tear down after. Leading up to the event, committee members and event chairs worked dozens of hours to collect auction items, plan decor, and ensure all the details were covered. Auction Co-Chair Marie Lampone writes: "I love participating in the tea because as our signature event, it allows CRC to share our mission and accomplishments with the community. It is also a testament to the strength of volunteer efforts and what they can do!"
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Resale Store volunteer Kate: "I'd like to say that I volunteer to give back to my community. But CRC is the one who is giving back to me.
Volunteering gives me something to look forward to and a purpose each week.
Plus, Mary (the San Marcos Resale Store Manager) is amazing!"
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Driver Assistant Mike: "I get to be part of the team of driver assistants, who pick up food from the stores which is donated to our Food Pantry.
I do this because it helps to minimize food insecurity in our community, and ensures that children, families and individuals don't have to go to bed hungry."
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FNC and Group Engagement Volunteer Lee: "I grew up with privilege, and I know that not everyone has had the same opportunities that I have had. Volunteering is one way I can help to balance the scales.
My goal is to help the local less fortunate reclaim their lives through food, shelter, work, love, counseling and support."
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CRC Volunteers Engage at the Encinitas Street Fair | Thank you to Elke Farrow, Niya Partridge, Lee Auerbach, (not shown) Sheri Seipel-Burtt, Suzanne Scott and Karen Koblentz for sharing valuable CRC resources with our community at the Encinitas Spring Fair on April 27th. | |
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Congratulations to CRC's Volunteer of the Month Tricia Kenyon!
From nominating staff person Cindy Collins: Tricia just recently spent her Saturday volunteering as the Lead Registration volunteer at the 29th Annual Tea.
Tricia moved to Southern California from Boston after retiring from Fidelity Investments. She Googled places to volunteer in Encinitas and CRC came up. Wanting to learn more before making a commitment she participated one of our monthly free tours of the Food & Nutrition Center and was hooked.
She has worn many hats at CRC, volunteering in the FNC, at events as an Outreach Ambassador and has found her niche working with the Development Department as the Event Registration Volunteer Lead. In this role, she has learned the online software Greater Giving and helped develop user instructions for staff and other volunteers.
We are so grateful for her time and talent sharing skills she has coming from a background in tech and software.
Thank you from the bottom of our heart for her contribution to making sure our fundraising events run smoothly.
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Volunteer Appreciation Event Coming Up | |
If you have volunteered with CRC in the past 12 months, you should have received an invitation to our Volunteer Appreciation event on May 9th. RSVP's are due by May 2nd and we hope you can join us!
If you have volunteered but have not received an invitation, please contact the Volunteer Manager for more info!
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Grab lunch, or dinner, or a snack, or all three from Rubios on Sunday, May 5th and give back to CRC in the process! Ask friends or family to join you. Win-Win! | | | |
Upcoming Education Opportunity | |
Thursdays: June 13, 20, 27 and July 11 & 18, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm at One Safe Place, San Marcos
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. The workshop will be led by Luis Canseco Garcia, CRC's Domestic Violence Education and Prevention Program Manager.
This is an excellent class for CRC volunteers who want to learn more about Domestic Violence and tools needed to support those in unhealthy relationships. There is a cost for this, but if three or more CRC volunteers sign up together, you will get 50% off.
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Truck Driver Support SUBS Needed | |
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CRC is looking for volunteers to ride along with our Truck Driver on Wednesdays, and as subs for when our regular volunteer team members are unable to do a shift. This is an early morning shift that requires some heavy lifting. Our drivers pick up food donations from local grocery stores which stocks our Food Pantry. Be a part of this incredible team! T-shirt provided. To learn more, contact the CRC Volunteer Manager.
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We'd love to include more of the volunteer voice in our newsletter! Send in a photo of you volunteering along with the answer to the question, "Why do I volunteer for CRC?" to possibly be featured in the future! To share your "why", contact the CRC Volunteer Manager.
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Are you a group of 5-15 looking for a way to partner in CRC's mission? There is currently a once-a-month Food Pantry and Resale Store group opportunity available on weekends. This may include deep cleaning, sorting, or stocking items. To learn more, contact the CRC Volunteer Manager.
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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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