At the Lucky Duck Foundation, we believe in action.
Not someday. Not years from now.
Now.
Every decision we make is guided by a simple principle:
Invest in programs that deliver real results — quickly, compassionately, and at scale.
Over the past year, that approach has reached and aided many less fortunate across San Diego County.
We deepened our focus on youth and seniors while also investing in other critically-needed areas. Every dollar was designed to inject hope into the lives of those suffering from or on the brink of homelessness.
We invite you to watch our Year in Review and read our written report below which goes into greater detail.
United for Youth is a $5 million initiative in partnership with the Prebys Foundation and David C. Copley Foundation, to help more than 500 current and former foster youth over the next two years connect to employment, housing and mentorship. It consists of approximately 40 organizations deeply collaborating to create a seamless system, which represents one of the largest, most collaborative youth homelessness prevention efforts in the region’s history.
United for Youth combats the very troubling trends facing foster youth: 65% leave foster care at age 18 with no place to call home; after reaching the age of 18, 20% will become instantly homeless; only 50% are employed by age 24; and 71% of young women in foster care become pregnant by age 21, facing the dual challenge of parenting while navigating their own transition to adulthood.
United for Youth invites foundations, corporations, community leaders, families, and individuals to join this growing movement of collaboration and impact. By investing financial resources, professional expertise, or mentorship, partners can play a direct role in transforming outcomes for foster youth across San Diego County.
That same bias for action guided another major effort this year: a strategic partnership with the San Diego Rescue Mission.
Together, we committed $10,000 for every new shelter bed activated by June 30, 2026 — up to $1.5 million.
For perspective — where traditional systems might produce only a handful of housing units years from now, this investment will immediately shelter 150 people at a time, and help many more over time.
And in North County, we helped open the “VisTAY” House, supporting transitional-aged youth, ages 18 to 25, with the tools they need to end their homelessness — once and for all.
VisTAY provides 16 beds and wraparound services to help transition-age youth stabilize, heal, and achieve self-sufficiency. With an average stay of 6–8 months, VisTAY is expected to serve 30 or more youth per year.
To move faster, we issued a matching challenge to our community.
Because of you, $1 million in private philanthropic support was raised — allowing us to rapidly activate 24 critically-needed detox beds.
The 24-bed center at Genesis Recovery has five rooms on its top level, each with a private bath, kitchen and group room. It has medical oversight, a clinical director and on-site therapists.
In partnership with the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, we expanded Seniors Safe at Home, a program designed to keep the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population housed — preventing homelessness before it begins.
All of this happened alongside the ongoing programs and efforts that continue to define our work.
And through our Be A Friend Program, meaningful human connections continue to change lives.
This program is now active at 8 different social service agencies and creating supportive friendship pairs between the individuals they serve and their volunteers.
Through Lucky Ducklings, more than 200 students from 12 local high schools volunteered over 1,000 hours, packed 10,000 meals, and awarded $25,000 to local impact projects.
We distributed thousands of sleeping-bag coats, with 4,000 more going out this winter, bringing our total distributed to more than 21,000 over the last six winters.
These weather-resistant coats are manufactured by formerly homeless parents and transform into sleeping bags to provide reprieve and protection from the cold pavement. It is the least we can do while we encourage our elected officials to add inclement weather shelter beds.
We also continued investing in numerous employment and job training programs to pathways to independence, including the San Diego College of Continuing Education’s Pathways Program, which provides paid internships, case management, transportation, support services, and more.
For young people experiencing homelessness, we expanded an excellent Trade School Program, which has helped 90 graduates in less than two years gain skills, credentials, and a future they can build on, and most of these graduates have secured their own apartment.
The Peter Seidler Way Symposiums on Homelessness brought leaders together to turn conversation into action.
Our Food and Water Outreach surpassed 2.1 million meals provided. This initiative provides life-saving sustenance while also serving as a bridge off the streets.
Cash for Trash has now removed more than 225 tons of debris from downtown San Diego, and counting, and will expand in partnership with the San Diego Rescue Mission.
This is certainly not everything we’ve done.
But it is a clear reflection of what’s possible when a community chooses action.
Every bed opened.
Every meal served.
Every life changed — happens because of you.
Thank you sincerely to each of our generous donors, volunteers and partners.
As we look ahead, I invite you to engage – “Share Your Luck” through the gift of your time, talent, and treasure.
Together, we can prevent and alleviate the suffering of homelessness — and create lasting pathways to stability across San Diego County.
On behalf of all of us at the Lucky Duck Foundation — thank you for sharing your luck.
Drew Moser
CEO, Lucky Duck Foundation
“We are so pleased and humbled to support the Lucky Duck Foundation. We greatly value their collaborative approach and use of business principles to reach a meaningful number of people through a variety of programs and strategies. Supporting their work at a high level brings us great fulfillment and we highly encourage others to do the same.”
–David & Vala Lueth, $1 million donors in 2024
“There are a variety of reasons that make our support of the Lucky Duck Foundation an easy decision. The Foundation has developed a portfolio of strategies and programs that truly and effectively make a difference in the effort to address homelessness. There is no single solution that can address the entire homeless population, and we sincerely appreciate their decision to prioritize youth and seniors who are unsheltered. Helping young people and elderly individuals avoid being homeless is simply the right thing to do and a good investment that saves lives and money over the long term.
The Board of Directors are exemplary in their focus and the co-founders (Pat and Steph) infuse an energy into the organization’s actions that is inspiring. We are truly excited about our support of the Foundation and we encourage other individuals and corporations to do the same.”
–Eugene “Mitch” & Rebecca Mitchell
“Lucky Duck Foundation’s mission is critical to my wife, Karen and myself. They support trying to better individuals who are homeless in San Diego County. We feel fortunate to be able to work with the Lucky Duck Foundation Team, a group of people who are firmly committed to making San Diego County a better place for our sisters and brothers who happen to be homeless.”
–Tom & Karen Mulvaney
“Lucky Duck is dedicated to addressing the homeless situation. The people who are involved are the purest individuals and leaders in our community. We just trust them so much. They are attracting and bringing together like-minded people who really want to make an impact and take positive steps toward improving the homeless situation. They are doing it in such a positive and thoughtful way, with projects like Timmy’s Place. We are thrilled that they created such a great way to help address the problem and to honor Timmy’s parents Rolf and Mary Benirschke as well.“
–George & Meryl Young
Personal or corporate checks can be made out to:
The Lucky Duck Foundation
5675 Ruffin Road, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92123
These funds are highly popular among individual donors because of the ease of administration and potential tax savings from donating via a DAF.
Strategies to save big on taxes, such as Charitable Remainder Trusts, bundled donations, and donations of appreciated stock, IRA, real estate, and estates.
Leave a lasting legacy by including the Lucky Duck Foundation in your estate planning.
We offer turnkey peer-to-peer fundraising so you can create your own fundraising page and invite your friends and family to support the Lucky Duck Foundation and its programs.
There are many ways your organization can get involved and support community giving and volunteering.
We’ve partnered with LNDRY, a premier laundry service in San Diego, to pick up your gently used clothes donation (for free!) to help homeless employment and education-seekers look and feel their best!
Enjoy premium craft coffee with a purpose. Our coffee partner, Tower Roasting Co., provides 100% organic fair trade coffee while helping to prevent and reduce homelessness in San Diego by donating 30% of every sale.
Join our newsletter to stay informed about the Lucky Duck Foundation’s programs and to see how your donations are making a difference.
When you subscribe to our newsletter, we will DONATE A PAIR OF BOMBAS SOCKS on your behalf, in partnership with Bombas Socks.
5675 Ruffin Road, Suite 100,
San Diego, CA 92123
The Lucky Duck Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID: 20-3324885
© 2026 All Rights Reserved.
When you subscribe to our newsletter, we will donate a pair of Bombas Socks* on your behalf.
*Socks graciously donated by our collaborative partner, Bombas Socks.
