PSCDC's Imperial Valley Team Celebrates Local Volunteers with Volunteer Appreciation Event
For PSCDC Resident Services Coordinators, volunteers played a crucial part in the impact and reach of services in communities. Thanks to the time and effort of community volunteers, Coordinators are able to consistently arrange in demand events requested by our residents. In Imperial Valley, volunteers are a cornerstone in many of the PSCDC hosted distributions and events.
"I believe every singe one of our volunteers are special," said Luz Vallejo, our Director of Services for Imperial Valley. "Our distributions are very difficult tasks for just our coordinators. Without volunteers, our distributions would take so much longer. The set-up preparations and clean up afterwards would be overwhelming without the extra help. I believe all of them deserve a lot of appreciation, respect, and love."
Many volunteers in the Imperial team are residents attending the PSCDC hosted food distributions. Residents embrace the opportunity to help when the PSCDC team has been understaffed or during distributions with a bigger load of food. Some volunteers have been helping for at least eight years! Relatives of PSCDC Coordinators have also been committed in making a difference in our communities. Diego Vallejo (son of Luz Vallejo) has helped build community gardens, pass out food during distributions, and oversaw the serving and cleaning up for holiday events. Other notable volunteers who have helped in many food distributions include the son of RSC Layla Perez and the brother of RSC Ana Cruz. In Imperial Valley, it is neighbors helping neighbors, and a full community effort.
In October, the Imperial Valley team celebrated and acknowledge the dedication of 30 volunteers with their annual Volunteer Appreciation Event. Invited volunteers enjoyed plenty of hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, chili, and sweet treats. In a very personal gesture, Manuel Fernandez, an Imperial Resident Services Coordinator, did all the cooking for the event! All volunteers also received a bag of sweets and personalized water bottles prepared by the Imperial Coordinators themselves. Raffle prizes donated by Sure Helpline Crisis Center, El Centro Regional Medical Center, Ventanilla de Salud, and A Choice Pharmacy were also given out during the event along with four gift cards purchased by PSCDC. Each attending volunteer were able to win one of the raffle items!
PSCDC Resident Services Coordinators are always looking for more volunteers. If you are looking to make an impact in your community, consider becoming a volunteer by contacting your local PSCDC Resident Services Coordinator!
