The Resource Connection Of Amador And Calaveras Counties Inc

Early childhood programs -the resource connection early childhood programs offers a variety of comprehensive early education programs for children birth to age 5. These programs primarily serve families living at or below the federal poverty line and/or have a qualifying need. These programs include early head start center-based program for children 3 months to 3 years of age, and head start center-based program for children age 3 to 5 years old, and a locally designed home-visiting program serving prenatal moms to children 3 years of age. The focus in all of these programs is on the ""whole child"" while engaging their families as well. The resource connection offers part year and full year options. Head start provides center-based services to 134 preschool aged children (3-5 years old) that were enrolled, dropped or completed the program from july 1 2023 through june 30 2024. Early head start provides infant/toddler services through center-based, and home visiting. Early head start center-based served 47 children and early head start home base served 35 children that were enrolled, dropped or completed from july 1 2023 through june 30 2024.

Food bank program -the resource connection food bank provides food and resources to low-income families living in calaveras county. We believe strongly in the health of our community and having access to healthy food is important. Currently, 35% of the food we provide is a variety of fresh produce. We are dedicated to ensuring healthy food is available throughout our county and we have several strategies to accomplish this. We partner with 9 faith-based and community pantries who provide food in many outlying areas of our community. We take food out into the very remote areas of our community through our own mobile pantry project - our mobile pantry goes to west point, railroad flat and copperopolis. We provide usda commodity food one time per month at eight sites throughout the county. We distributed 1,183,094 pounds of food to 10% of the population living in calaveras county including one in five children. We also provide resources for many other services available to the families and individuals we serve.

Intervention and prevention program the resource connection calaveras crisis center provides shelter, peer licensed counseling, advocacy, restraining order assistance, criminal justice support, court accompaniment services and hospital response for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and personal safety as well as violence prevention education for school aged children in calaveras county. The resource connection advocacy center provides forensic interviewing services, criminal justice advocacy and education, multi-disciplinary case management and licensed counseling services for child victims of crime.services provided during the past year include:the calaveras children's advocacy center served 170 child victims of crime, 41 of which also received forensic interviews in order to gather evidence in preparation for prosecution of those crimes. 140 received no cost therapeutic services.the calaveras crisis center provided assistance to 359 individuals who were experiencing domestic violence, 33 of those received shelter services. Of the 359 individuals who received services 39 were adult males and 102 were children.the calaveras crisis center provided assistance to 92 individuals who had experienced sexual assault. Of those 2 were adult males.

The special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children - better known as the wic program is a federally funded program that serves to safe guard the health of low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating including breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals to health care. Fathers, grandparents, and foster parents may also be eligible to enroll children under the age of five. Wic also provides breast pumps to breastfeeding mothers who qualify. The resource connection wic program also offers a breastfeeding peer counseling program. Once enrolled into our wic's peer counseling program, breastfeeding mothers will have free access to peer support and an international board-certified lactation consultant. Average number of participants served in a 6-month period (april 2024 - september 2024) = 1052/month.$60/value wic food package into local economy each month = $63,120 /month.wic site locations include, amador county - ione, jackson, pioneer, plymouth, sutter creek.calaveras county - angels camp, arnold, copperoppolis, murphys, san andreas, valley springs, west point.wic is an equal opportunity provider.

The resource connection is also supported by the community's generous donations. These funds are used to pay for necessary items that restricted grant funding cannot pay for. Such expenses include but are not limited to volunteer training, staff training and wages, administrative expenses, food for clients, equipment maintenance/repairs, shelter repairs and supplies (ie: paper products, luggage, haircuts, help with storage costs), christmas gifts/meals for shelter residents, insurance, medical exams for child victims of crime, client transportation for those fleeing violence, medical services for adult clients, help with client utility bills, services for pets of our shelter residents (ie: veterinary care, food) and dental work for child victims