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Dear CRC,
We can never truly capture the value that volunteers provide to CRC. I am currently rereading a book titled "Measuring the Impact of Volunteers: A Balanced and Strategic Approach." It makes many excellent points, one being that the number of volunteers and the hours of volunteers will never fully tell the story of an organization. Are the volunteers compassionate? Are they dedicated? Are they efficient? Do they partner with staff to expand on our services and our impact? Those are the questions to ask.
We DO need to keep track of your hours, as they are given an in-kind value that we can use when applying for and complying with valuable grants. And, you will see below, volunteer engagement was up quite a bit this past year, which is exciting! I will explain more of what the numbers mean and why they can tell part of the story as you read on.
This past Thursday, CRC was a deployment site for the Regional Taskforce on Homelessness (RTFH) "We All Count" Census. Volunteers for RTFH arrived at 3:30 am to drive and walk around North County San Diego to get a count of those experiencing homelessness in our region. These numbers are sent to the state and federal government and help to inform distribution of money and services as well as legislation to address the issue. Those numbers can change things.
CRC does not get "credit" for these volunteers or their hours as they were registered with RTFH. Even so, many of them are also dedicated partners to CRC, volunteers of CRC, and are committed to the same mission. This sense of connection to our community and a desire to make the world better for our neighbors matters.
Read below to see the many ways in which CRC volunteers are making, and CAN continue to make, a difference. And, if you are donating your time to us, don't forget to keep track of those hours!
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Warmly,
Sara Rosenbaum, CVA
CRC Volunteer Manager
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A Part of the Story: Volunteer Hours Count | |
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These numbers matter for two reasons: 1. They provide in-kind value to the hours you donate. Even though it is imperfect, it helps us to tell the story of community support and engagement. They tell the story of the true cost of running our organization. What would CRC be if we did not have the more than 20,000 volunteer hours last year partnering with us? 2. Volunteer numbers are up primarily in our group opportunities at the Stores and the Food Pantry, our Encinitas Resale Store volunteer team, our committees and our events. These numbers are the product of increased engagement with the community and a commitment to deeper involvement by the community.
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Junior League of San Diego: Dignity Counts | |
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A group from the Junior League of San Diego came out on January 6th to deep clean our Food and Nutrition Center Food Pantry. The team cleaned out our walk-in freezer and even behind counters and shelves.
It is so exciting on Monday mornings after a volunteer group has come through, to see the faces of the clients when met with a sparkling clean and organized space. These groups also free up our weekday volunteers to put their efforts into sorting, shelving, and providing personal and high quality service to our clients. Thank you to Junior League and to all of the groups who have volunteered for this in the past year!
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Youth Advisory Board: Leadership Counts | |
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Our Youth Advisory Board was challenged to tackle a project this Fall/Winter to engage fellow students in the work of CRC. YAB member Vivian Maynes decided to organize a personal care drive at her school, San Dieguito Academy in collaboration with the Athletic Department. The school ended up collecting and donating 260 items to our Food and Nutrition Center, with the school's softball team donating the most items. Her initiative provided an opportunity for high school students to lean into the needs of the community, but also provided tangible, much needed support to those we serve.
Thank you Vivian, and those like you, who are leading the way in compassion and action!
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Resale Store Volunteer Hours Mean More Income | |
The Encinitas Resale Store is a great example of how volunteers can expand the impact we have. The team has grown this past year in ongoing, weekly volunteers who are taking on leadership roles and partnering in the work that happens at the store. Hours are up 20% and number of volunteers is up 48% over last year.
* Volunteers sort items and get them out on the sales floor quickly, promoting sales and keeping inventory fresh for shoppers.
* Volunteers provide shopping assistance to our clients who come in with vouchers, using trauma-informed care practices to create a warm, fun, and stress-free experience.
* Volunteers deep clean the store, providing a better shopping experience for the community.
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Congratulations to CRC's Volunteer of the Month Lee Auerbach!
Lee joined our volunteer team in 2022, jumping in at the Food and Nutrition Center (FNC). This past year, with a desire to get even more involved, he took on a leadership role in which he oversees all group deep clean opportunities at the FNC.
Lee is high energy, compassionate, well-spoken, and well-connected in the community. Before the set date, he communicates with the groups in a timely manner. And on the day of, he provides a quick intro that connects the deep clean with the services we provide throughout the year. The feedback from volunteers is consistently positive, that they felt it was a meaningful and fun experience. This is credited to Lee's leadership.
His willingness to take on this role has allowed us to expand our community engagement beyond the typical weekday hours of our staff, which means a 600% increase in group volunteers in the Food Programs in 2023. We expect more in 2024. Thank you Lee!
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CRC Volunteers can spread awareness of teen dating violence but also the importance of healthy relationships. This is in particular, a great way for our youth to partner in the important work CRC does to educate, to prevent, and to provide safety. Wear ORANGE on February 6th, take a photo, and email it to us to post on social media to raise awareness! You can post photos yourself as well and use the tag #TVIAM2024 and @sandiegocrc.
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CRC has seen an increase in Emergency Food assistance in our Food Pantry by 69% over last year. Grocery store donations are down. We need your help! To find out more about the types of items we need, see the flier or check our website here to print it.
If you prefer to donate funds so that we can purchase items, you can go to this link here. Thank you!
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Truck Driver Support Needed | |
CRC is looking for a volunteer to ride along with our Truck Driver on Thursdays. 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. | |
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. | |
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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