On September 12, the Lucky Duck Foundation will be hosting its annual fundraiser to raise critically needed funds for numerous efforts designed to prevent and alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County. The Showcase Soirée is an entertainment and variety show meant to be fun, casual, inspiring, and unlike any other fundraising event. It will feature live music, professional magician, a comedy routine, and more, and will be the event’s second year at The Sound in Del Mar.
Funds raised will support the Lucky Duck Foundation’s many programs including more than 25 different employment and job training programs benefiting more than 1,000 individuals, a Food & Water outreach initiative that has provided more than 1.8 million meals to unsheltered San Diegans, and the distribution of more than 12,500 heavy duty winter coats that transform into sleeping bags. The nonprofit has also purchased and installed industrial tent structures that shelter 450 individuals nightly; removed more than 200 tons of trash through a “Cash for Trash” program that pays homeless individuals $2 per bag of trash removed; and much more.
And, all donations are matched by Lucky Duck Foundation co-founders, up to $1.5 million per year.
One example employment program is a collaboration with Feeding San Diego and the Salvation Army that has rescued more than 700,000 pounds of perfectly viable food, which is then redistributed to unsheltered individuals or those on the brink of homelessness. Another employment program is Timmy’s Place, a pizzeria, cafe, and print shop that trains and employs youth facing homelessness, launched in partnership with Urban Street Angels and the Union of Pan Asian Communities. The goal is to employ more than 50 shelter residents per year, while helping them build transferable employment and life skills.
The Lucky Duck Foundation’s top priorities for 2024 are youth and senior homelessness. Statistics show that half of chronically homeless people were homeless as youth, so the Lucky Duck Foundation strives to catch them early. This spring the nonprofit provided funding to support a new safe haven specifically for homeless youth ages 18-24, operated by the Youth Assistance Coalition. This effort added five critically needed emergency shelter beds for less than the cost of one government-subsidized hotel room.
In terms of seniors, the Lucky Duck Foundation invested $500,000 to launch “Seniors Safe at Home” to quickly stabilize housing for seniors who are at risk of homelessness. The program, in partnership with the San Diego Housing Commission and Serving Seniors, provides rental subsidies for seniors experiencing a housing crisis, such as facing eviction, or situations where fixed incomes simply cannot keep up with sharp rises in inflation and housing costs.
Please visit: luckyduckfoundation.org to learn more about the Showcase Soirée, including sponsorship opportunities.
