Community Resource Project (CRP) 2024 Annual Report

For almost 9 years serving Community Resource Project, as their Chief Executive Officer, I will be entering retirement with great appreciation for my CRP colleagues and with the support of our Board of Directors.

It has been my privilege to work alongside a group of dedicated, committed and selfless individuals throughout my tenure with CRP. I have come to love this organization and for what it stands for and the people who work tirelessly to carry out CRP’s mission.

We have elevated CRP’s recognition as a trusted and respected organization amongst our communities which has spurred its growth with added programs, additional funding and increased assistance to many more households receiving services.

There are many areas of growth we have created together, and we are proud of the milestones achieved. This year’s annual report highlights many of these implemented in 2024 program year.

CRP has driven its innovation to serve our communities better. In 2017, we addressed the problem of ‘Food Deserts’ by establishing a grocery store at our Louise Perez Resource Center, likewise in 2024 we tackled the lack of affordable financial services by collaborating with the Northeast Community Federal Credit Union to establish a Satellite office at this same Center to service community members and small businesses.

We expanded Energy Efficiency Retrofit effort with Utility partners, developed workforce training in Zero Emissions Vehicle industry, and developed additional training programs to serve the needs of employers offering green jobs.

We are collaborating with health care providers to address Asthma Remediation to those with respiratory health issues and find ways to reduce these heath incidents.

In 2025, I have transitioned CRP’s leadership to Wilfredo Cruz, Executive Director who brings passion, commitment, and drive to lead this amazing organization into the next 50 years. I wish him and all of CRP the best for the future continued Success!

Luis Sanchez Former CEO Community Resource Project, Inc.

Founded in 1972 by three Latino community leaders to provide much-needed services to the low-income communities, the agency originally offered employment training to men and women exiting the correctional system. CRP quickly recognized the changing needs of the community, and in response, our mission evolved to focus on Energy, Health, and Education. Assistance in these three strategic areas is fundamental to families’ progress from dependence to self-sufficiency.

Today, Community Resource Project, Inc. has a major impact on the families in Northern California, with service to Sacramento, Sutter, and Yuba Counties. We provide a variety of programs in Energy and Weatherization services, Women, Infant and Children-Health programs and Education with funding from the California Department of Community Services and Development, the California Department of Public Health, Department of Energy, SMUD, PG&E as well as local contracts and grants.

Our Energy Division provides energy and weatherization programs that improve home energy efficiency through state and federal funding. Funding from programs such as the Department of Energy and the California State Department of Community Services and Development allows us to reduce energy costs while improving the health and safety of homes for low-income families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.

In 2024, we invested over $11,000 in home improvements and utility bill assistance for low-income households.

Through our programs, we help reduce utility costs, conserve energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in single-family and multifamily properties across Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sutter, and Yuba counties.

WIC - The Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition program (WIC) is a federally funded program that provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods and referrals to community programs for women, infants and children up to the age of five.

Services:

• WIC is a nutrition program for low-income pregnant & postpartum individuals, infants and children up to age 5.
• WIC provides benefits for healthy foods that help provide certain key nutrients that are important during pregnancy, postpartum, and for growing children.
• WIC provides nutrition counseling one-on-one, online and in a group setting.
• WIC can help connect families with other relevant community supports, such as medical insurance or mental health resources

First 5 - The First 5 Community Lactation Assistance program is a First 5 Sacramento Commission funded program that provides lactation support, services and resources to at-risk mothers and babies in Sacramento County to improve breastfeeding initiation and duration rates.

Services:

• WIC lactation consultants provide support by phone or in-person, and we have a Breastfeeding Helpline that is checked multiple times each day, 7 days a week, including evenings and weekends.
• CRP WIC has a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program that works closely with our lactation consultants. Peer Counselors have personal breastfeeding experience and training in breastfeeding, so are equipped to provided expectant and new parents with information and support to help them feel prepared to breastfeeding and provide peer/moral support along the way as they are learning to breastfeed.
• All WIC staff undergo regular breastfeeding training so are equipped to answer common breastfeeding questions, and triage and refer to the LCs for more advanced issues.
• WIC participants may qualify to borrow an electric breast pump for free, if experiencing a medical need when breastfeeding, or when returning to work or school and breastfeeding.

First time mom, Nicole sought out lactation support from our First 5 IBCLC, Danielle. She experienced severe nipple pain and trauma upon initiating breastfeeding and visited our lactation consultants’ numerous times to help resolve the issues and improve her breastfeeding journey.

“Carina and Amaury had a rough start. Amaury had jaundice and didn’t really want to latch so we issued them a pump loan. Amaury was then diagnosed with viral meningitis and readmitted to the hospital despite mother’s concerns of him not eating well at the doctors. Eventually he came around and was sent home but continued to struggle with directly breastfeeding. This made Carina extremely anxious to trust any doctor but came to see her PC Tatiana and LC Danielle. During our initial in-person visit she let everything out, telling us how she felt and for the first time felt like providers were actually listening to her. We shared tears and validated her feelings making this a safe place to share any and all information she would like.

To Carina’s surprise she was able to successfully breastmilk feed Amaury to nearly 7 months which was beyond what she thought she could accomplish. After our last check in she thanked us immensely for our continuous support with her journey with Amaury and feels so thankful to have us there. Tatiana did a great job as a PC supporting her and letting her talk through all her emotions and anxiety. Tatiana was so kind and present during each contact and would even go past her scheduled time with her, so much poise and patience.” ~Carina, WIC Participant and Peer Counseling mom

If you would like to support CRP First 5, consider donating to CRP at:   https://www.communityresourceproject.org/Donate 

CLEAN Air is part of  California Climate Investments , a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities. 

Community Learning, Employment & Awareness Network for Air -The CLEAN Air Project will increase household air monitoring, reduce unemployment, and empower community members to improve local air quality in the South Sacramento-Florin Assembly Bill 617 community. CRP’s technical project will:

• Educate 150 community members on how to improve air quality in their homes and neighborhoods
• Train 100 high school and community college students to be youth air quality ambassadors, how to install air sensors, and monitor air quality in 100 local area households.
• Provide job training to 30 unemployed and underemployed community members on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) electrification, weatherization, electric vehicle (EV) charger and solar panel installation.

In 2024, we launched our community outreach efforts, engaging with over 150 South Sacramento residents through events at the Southgate Sacramento Public Library. Attendees learned about indoor air pollution sources and practical ways to reduce them through an interactive application, presentation, and live demonstration on using a home air purifier. Each participant also received a personal air purifier to take home.

In 2024 we made a commitment to support literacy opportunities in the Sacramento Region by hosting multiple "Literacy is Key" events in Sacramento, Yuba, and Sutter Counties. Literacy is Key is a donation based program that allows CRP to purchase bi-lingual books and provide free events to underserved communities. The event featured multiple resource agencies and nonprofit organizations, free books, live book readings, free lunch and other community resources in one location. We look forward to evolving this effort to expand the visibility of local authors and literacy services.

A special thank you to the following authors who partnered with CRP to provide bilingual books and share their storytelling:

The Forbidden Treasure by See Lor

Bubba Bully Bear: No More Bullying! by Sterling Forbes

Super Peanut and the Big Bully: The Power of Kindness by Leticia Ordaz

If you would like to support the continuation of these free events for kids, consider donating to CRP at:   https://www.communityresourceproject.org/Donate 

Community Resource Project (CRP) is excited to announce a collaborative partnership with the Northeast Community Federal Credit Union, based in San Francisco, who is establishing a satellite office at the Louise Perez Resource Center located at 3821 41st Ave, Sacramento 95824. This is the first expansion, outside of San Francisco, undertaken by the 42-year established institution.

The South Sacramento location for the Northeast Community Federal Credit Union office fulfills the void of nonexistence financial institutions or ATMs for the community residents to conduct their banking.

Luis Sanchez, CEO of Community Resource Project.  “Our non-profit along with NECFCU will provide economic stability, financial literacy, small business access to capital, home ownership services and economic development opportunities to an area that has lacked these services for so many years.  Just as NECFCU did for the people and business community in Chinatown in San Francisco, they will deliver the same programs for our Sacramento community.”

Minority communities and especially immigrant populations often lack access to loans for small businesses, affordable housing, lack of homeownership options, and access to safety-net programs. CRPs collaborative partnership with NECFCU can help address these barriers being faced currently by so many of our community. We look forward to developing this partnership which will eventually provide in-person services and financial literary resources for community members. Stay tuned!