Lucky Duck Foundation & Rolf Benirschke Legacy Foundation team up to create pizzeria and print shop to employ homeless youth
Named “Timmy’s Place” after Rolf & Mary Benirschke’s son who overcame homelessness
The Lucky Duck Foundation and Rolf Benirschke Legacy Foundation are pleased to announce a brand new pizzeria and print shop with a unique and compelling mission: to train and employ homeless youth at the Urban Street Angels’ (USA) downtown youth homeless center. The nonprofit social enterprise is expected to employ more than fifty USA youth every year.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Legacy Foundation to provide the capital investment to transform this space and provide countless training and employment opportunities for young people working to overcome homelessness,” said Drew Moser, Executive Director of the Lucky Duck Foundation. “Employment is a key factor in ending one’s homelessness, and this pizzeria and print shop will provide critical life skills and meaningful work experience to help a significant number of youth avoid homelessness and become self sufficient.”
“We have searched for several years to find the right partners to activate this space in order to equip youth in need,” said Eric Lovett CEO & Founder of Urban Street Angels. “It’s important to give a person a fish, but, more important to teach them how to fish, and this space with these partnerships makes that possible and will help a significant number of youth on their path to self sustainability.”
The Benirschkes were surprised and honored by the idea to name it “Timmy’s Place” after their son, Timmy, who overcame homelessness and addiction after living on the streets for more than five years.
“It is a privilege to come alongside this amazing group of people dedicated to changing the lives of young adults who are experiencing homelessness. Timmy came into our family when he was just three years old after having a horrendous start at an orphanage in Russia. He suffered the effects of that trauma throughout his childhood. Even though we poured our love and our resources into him, unfortunately, he ended up making some bad choices which led to
a life on the streets when he was 18. After five years of homelessness, a group of caring people saw something special in him and gave him a chance to find employment and move forward. He is now 3 1/2 years sober with a reignited faith in God and has a bright future ahead of him. We hope that Timmy’s Place and Timmy’s story will inspire other young people and offer hope and opportunities that they so desperately need.”
The pizzeria opens to the public on May 2nd and will serve pizzas, sandwiches, pastries, coffees, and more. The print shop will have a high-capacity automated screen printing machine that can produce thousands of units as well as equipment to handle customizable products. Additionally, merchandise featuring designs, logos, and creations made by USA youth will be displayed and sold. The pizzeria & print shop will be operated by the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC), which currently operates a similar and successful café, catering, and print shop social enterprise in City Heights that mentors, trains, and employs diverse local youth at its Neighborhood Enterprise Center.
Timmy’s Place is projected to be a self-sustaining endeavor after one year. To cover operating costs during the first year, the Lucky Duck Foundation is inviting the public to “fund a shift” for homeless youth. A donation of $100 will cover a four-hour shift for youth at Timmy’s and other programs like it.
Timmy’s Place is located at 1404 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101.
To donate, please visit: https://www.luckyduckfoundation.org/timmysplace
ABOUT THE LUCKY DUCK FOUNDATION
Since 2005, The Lucky Duck Foundation (LDF) has raised funds and awareness for numerous charitable causes throughout San Diego. In 2017, due to the growing homelessness epidemic, LDF pivoted to focus on providing aid and relief for individuals and families suffering from homelessness. Since then, LDF and its co-founders, Pat & Stephanie Kilkenny, have funded, activated, and led several high-impact programs that alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County, including bridge shelters, employment and job training, research, permanent supportive housing, outreach, and more. Originally called the AGIA Foundation (Arrowhead General Insurance Agency), the name was changed to the Lucky Duck Foundation to honor the Kilkenny family’s Irish heritage and as a nod to their love of the University of Oregon. The premise is simple: if you have had some good luck and fortune in your life, share your luck with those less fortunate. And, all donations are matched by Pat & Stephanie, up to $1.5 million per year.
ABOUT THE ROLF BENIRSCHKE LEGACY FOUNDATION
The Rolf Benirschke Legacy Foundation was founded in 2001 to bring together likeminded San Diegans who love our city and want to raise funds to support local charities where their
donations could “move the needle” and make a meaningful difference. The Legacy Invitational Golf Tournament annually raises funds to support the Crohn’s and Colitis Founation, Pro Kids, and one additional local charity selected each year. Over the past 22 years the foundation has raised close to $8M and supported dozens of charities.
ABOUT URBAN STREET ANGELS
Since 2012, Urban Street Angels (“USA”) has worked to end youth homelessness throughout San Diego via a strategic network of outreach, housing and social enterprise programs. In 2014, due to the growing homelessness epidemic, USA expanded beyond essential outreach services to provide transitional housing and job skills training for the organization’s first cohort of program clients. Since then, USA has expanded the organization’s program offerings to include a emergency bridge shelter for transition-aged youth (“TAY”, 18 – 24 years old), a network of supportive housing programs that collectively provide over 120 beds for TAY seeking to leave the streets behind for good, and transitional employment and job training programs designed to promote independence, self-sufficiency and hope for the future. Through strategic public partnerships established with the County of San Diego, the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, and the San Diego Housing Commission, and private partnerships forged with the Cushman Foundation, the Lucky Duck Foundation, and many more, Urban Street Angels is poised to provide services and support to over 400 formerly homeless TAY each year for years to come. All donations to Urban Street Angels are tax deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law.
ABOUT THE UNION OF PAN ASIAN COMMUNITIES
The Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) is a 501c3 non-profit that provides health and human services focused on improving the overall well-being of underserved diverse populations since 1974. Providing assistance in over 30 languages at 15 locations across the county, we recognize and celebrate the diversity of our region and strive to strengthen these communities to achieve self-sufficiency. Programs focus on mental health counseling, addiction treatment & recovery, community engagement,social enterprise, business development, gang prevention, community violence & crisis response, youth empowerment, housing counseling, health promotion and cultural competency education. UPAC not only offers assistance to its most vulnerable community members, but UPAC also Unites People Across Cultures.
For media inquiries, contact Drew Moser: drewm@luckyduckfoundation.org / (619) 417-1149[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
