Debbie King of the CRC (center) with Community Service Chair Steven McDowell (left) and President-Elect Pat Caughey, whose wife Jenny is a CRC volunteer
Debbie King, Senior Director for Donor Relations of the Community Resource Center (CRC) was our speaker for the September 5, 2024 meeting. Debbie is also the current president of the Rotary Club of Vista. Celebrating the 45th anniversary of its founding, CRC currently helps over 7,000 clients annually to have healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships. To expand its impact, in 2022 the CRC began a $10 million capital campaign, One Community • One Heart, to upgrade their main campus in Encinitas. Construction is slated to begin in 2025 and will provide an accessible building that has efficient workspaces for CRC staff and meeting spaces both for confidential appointments and educational workshops for CRC clients. The new Food & Nutrition building will have a sheltered entry walkway that leads to an interior reception area that offers clients needed privacy and dignity as they wait for service. The building also has increased storage and intake area for food and supplies, and includes a flexible space for cooking demonstrations that instruct clients on how to prepare and enhance their family meals. Debbie addressed questions about the evolution of the holiday baskets, which were a favorite volunteer opportunity for members. The CRC now gives clients gift cards to area retailers. These gift cards give families served by the CRC greater choice and the ability to select items that are tailored to their needs.