Volunteer News | January 26, 2023
Volunteer Goals for 2023
Dear CRC Volunteer,

I love my lists year-round, but January for me is especially focused on lists and goals. While I am a walking cliché when it comes to my personal goals (i.e., It’s January 1 and my healthy eating goals are shot by some chips and guacamole with a side of tacos), I tend to stay more on track with my work goals. Each new year, I plan the calendar for the volunteer program, develop new growth opportunities and start to prepare for the year ahead of us.

Fresh goals for this coming year:

Feedback: In February, I will be sending out our yearly survey to all active volunteers, collecting data from you. This year, we will include a section on demographics as part of CRC's DEI commitment. In order to do this well, we need to know our starting point. You can help by clicking on that survey and giving your feedback and making sure you are represented.

Training: In March, I hope to provide a Trauma-Informed Practices training for all interested volunteers. Understanding more about this can provide empathy for our clients, but it can also help us to understand the trauma that we ourselves have faced and see how it affects our interactions with the world around us.

Advocacy: Finally, I'd love to see our volunteers take an even bigger role in advocacy this year. We already do a great job, but I think we can do better! As an example, February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and the color for that is orange. Wear orange, take a photo, post it and tag us! Make sure to email the photo to me so we can include it in CRC's social media efforts and in our newsletter.

See below for some more goals for the team and things to look forward to in 2023!
Warmly,

Sara Rosenbaum, CVA
CRC Volunteer Manager
2023 Goals: Volunteer Edition
Get Healthy
Did you know that volunteering has been shown to reduce risk of high blood pressure and stress? Many of our volunteer roles literally provide opportunities to lift heavy things, smile in a warm greeting, and work with others - all of which can contribute to a healthy lifestyle!

Help the Earth
Did you know that volunteering at, donating to, and shopping at one of our three resale stores can help reduce landfill waste? All active volunteers receive 25% off at our stores as well so you can save money on already great deals.

Learn and Grow
CRC provides training for volunteers such as a trauma-informed practices and a "What is Homelessness" training to ensure you have the tools you need to thrive on our team. Plan to join us this year!

Give Back
CRC Volunteers provided almost 18,000 hours of time towards our cause in 2022! People fed, families housed, domestic violence survivors counseled and given safe shelter. Volunteers are part of the work we do. Let's see what we can do in 2023 to change the world for the better!
Volunteer News
Partner Spotlight: Regional Taskforce on Homelessness
CRC, in collaboration with the Regional Taskforce on Homelessness, hosted the #WeAllCount Point-in-Time Count (PITC) on January 26th. This is a federally mandated requirement designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be conducted every two years, but San Diego has historically chosen to conduct a homeless count on an annual basis.

This census provides valuable information that is used to inform the allocation of funds to programs like CRC. While this is not a CRC volunteer opportunity, many of our volunteers come out early (3:30 am!) to take part in this important count.
Volunteers in Action
Food and Nutrition Center volunteers Anne and Ann, and interim staff person/former volunteer Annie providing vitamin C, healthy groceries and a warm welcome to our clients!
The Silent Auction Committee for the CRC Tea By the Sea Fundraiser met on January 25th to discuss the game plan for gathering donations. This group is integral to the success of the event! Thank you ladies!
Volunteer of the Month
Congratulations to CRC's Volunteer of the Month, Valerie Anderson!

Valerie is a volunteer at our Encinitas Resale Store. Robert Pontier, Encinitas store manager writes, "I have so many good volunteers to choose from, so it is always difficult to come up with just one nomination. But I would like to nominate Valerie / Val. Valerie comes Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. She processes the clothing for us. She sorts, hangs, tags, puts it out and pulls it when it is time. No matter how much clothing (it is usually ALOT) is waiting for Valerie when she arrives, she gets right to it and gets through the entire pile. She always has a smile on her face and is pleasant to work with. Valerie's dedication to the Encinitas resale is one of the main reasons we are doing so well."

Thank you, Valerie, and to all our resale store volunteers for the great work you do!

Revenue from the stores support our work to provide healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships for our neighbors!
Get Involved
Volunteer Openings
Volunteer Fresh Rescue Truck Driver Support
We have an opening for volunteers to ride along with our truck driver to provide assistance. This role requires someone who can lift 25-50 pounds multiple times in a few hours, enjoys riding in large trucks, and can keep up with our staff banter. Openings are on Tuesdays, 7:40 am - noon. If interested, email our Volunteer Manager.
Videographers and Novice/Professional Video Creators
We are creating a CRC Volunteer onboarding video! We need a small team of people to contribute content, write the script and edit/put together a video that will tell the CRC story and highlight important information from our volunteer handbook. If interested, email our Volunteer Manager.
Opportunity for Teens
Healthy Relationships Conference 2023
An invaluable event for young people to:
  • Become more aware about teen dating violence and relationship abuse
  • Learn about dating and healthy relationships 

With One Safe Place, the new Family Justice Center in North County, serving hundreds of victims since its opening last year, the need to educate teens and help break the cycle of abuse has become increasingly important.

Many teens have already been exposed to violence, either directly by a dating partner or indirectly by witnessing family members being abused. We can’t hide this problem; therefore, we must talk about it.

We believe youth can help us reach more youth. As we hear from them and get them engaged for future events, we hope that they will be able to take the lead to help others.
Advocacy Opportunity and Raffle!
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness month & the advocacy color is orange.

Unhealthy relationship habits can start young, and CRC believes that prevention and education is key!

Please wear orange on February 7th to show your support of our efforts to spread awareness and encourage healthy relationships.

Email your photos so we can highlight the support and enter you into a fun raffle drawing! Teen volunteers get two entries into the raffle! You can also email to request advocacy signs and statistics you can share.
Save the Date!


April 15th
Fairbanks Ranch Country Club


Our Tea's Auction Committee is looking for donations!

If you have a vacation home to donate for a week, a special food, beverage or services package or other fun activities please email us with the details. Your imagination is the limit!

Each year, generous individuals and businesses donate items for the Tea's Auction and Raffle, helping raise critical funds to provide food, housing assistance and shelter to people experiencing hunger, homelessness or domestic violence in our community. 

Volunteer Opportunities and Ticket Registration Details Coming Soon!
What's Your Story?
If you have a good story of volunteering, please share with me at srosenbaum@crcncc.orgI can include those stories in future newsletters as an encouragement to our team.  
Let Us Know
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/integrative-services/
Community Resource Center
(760) 230-6501| info@crcncc.org | CRCNCC.org