Lucky Duck Foundation

06/16/2026

For many individuals experiencing homelessness, employment is the key to breaking the cycle and building a stable future. In fact, more people experiencing homelessness cite employment as the factor most likely to help them exit homelessness than affordable housing alone.

That’s why the Lucky Duck Foundation is proud to support Work For Hope with McAlister Institute — a program helping individuals leave the streets, overcome addiction, gain valuable job skills, and find renewed purpose while beautifying parks throughout the City of Chula Vista.

The results are inspiring:
🍀 More than 10,800 hours of paid work and on-the-job training completed
🍀 Nearly 95% of graduates housed by program completion
🍀 74% secured permanent employment
🍀 Every public park in Chula Vista enhanced through the program’s work But behind every statistic is a person — someone who once felt hopeless and is now rebuilding their life through meaningful employment, stability, and community.

Watch this video to meet some of the individuals whose lives have been transformed through Work For Hope.

06/16/2026

For many individuals experiencing homelessness, employment is the key to breaking the cycle and building a stable future. In fact, more people experiencing homelessness cite employment as the factor most likely to help them exit homelessness than affordable housing alone.

That’s why the Lucky Duck Foundation is proud to support Work For Hope with the McAlister Institute — a program helping individuals leave the streets, overcome addiction, gain valuable job skills, and find renewed purpose while beautifying parks throughout the City of Chula Vista.

The results are inspiring:
🍀 More than 10,800 hours of paid work and on-the-job training completed
🍀 Nearly 95% of graduates housed by program completion
🍀 74% secured permanent employment
🍀 Every public park in Chula Vista enhanced through the program's work

But behind every statistic is a person — someone who once felt hopeless and is now rebuilding their life through meaningful employment, stability, and community.

Watch this video to meet some of the individuals whose lives have been transformed through Work For Hope.

06/12/2026

Did you know that 75% of the youth waiting for a mentor in San Diego are boys? Many have been waiting for years for a consistent role model in their lives. The Men Who Show Up initiative is part of the California Men's Service Challenge, aimed at improving the mental health and well-being of young men through service and leadership.

We’re proud to support Men Who Show Up, a campaign highlighting the many ways adults can positively impact the lives of San Diego youth.

Be the difference. Show up for San Diego’s youth. Visit to learn more: https://sdbigs.org/men-who-show-up/ #

Boys in San Diego are waiting for a mentor. Be one of the men who show up for them. Learn how you can volunteer today!

06/10/2026

At a time when 9 out of 10 requests for shelter go unfulfilled, we have launched a new countywide shelter inventory tool to publicly track shelter capacity across every city in San Diego County.

The goal is simple: create transparency, accountability, and a clear baseline that shelter capacity should only increase from here.

This comes as the City of San Diego considers reducing capacity at the 16th & Newton bridge shelter — a 326-bed shelter owned by LDF and provided to the City for free — despite the urgent need for more immediate pathways off the streets.

Thanks to our donors, we are prepared to deploy philanthropic resources to help prevent further shelter reductions and support solutions that expand access to safe places to sleep.

🍀 Shelter is often the first step toward stability, services, and housing. Join us in sharing your luck and advocating for more pathways off the streets — not fewer.

See the shelter inventory here: https://bit.ly/49R59nQ

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4ef2XHY

06/08/2026

San Diego cannot afford to move backward. Today, thousands of our neighbors are asking for shelter, yet only a fraction are able to access it. In fact, roughly 9 out of every 10 requests for shelter go unmet. At a time when the need for shelter continues to far exceed available capacity, the City of San Diego is considering reducing the number of shelter beds at one of the bridge shelters owned by the Lucky Duck Foundation. We believe the focus should be on creating more pathways off the streets — not fewer.

We need your voice. Please take 30 seconds to help us urge the Mayor and City Council to protect shelter capacity and prioritize strategies that help more people move indoors: https://action.luckyduckfoundation.org/ — you can find this link in our bio.

Together, we can ensure San Diego continues moving forward 🍀

06/08/2026

San Diego cannot afford to move backward. Today, thousands of our neighbors are asking for shelter, yet only a fraction are able to access it. In fact, roughly 9 out of every 10 requests for shelter go unmet. At a time when the need for shelter continues to far exceed available capacity, the City of San Diego is considering reducing the number of shelter beds at one of the bridge shelters owned by the Lucky Duck Foundation. We believe the focus should be on creating more pathways off the streets — not fewer.

We need your voice. Please take 30 seconds to help us urge the Mayor and City Council to protect shelter capacity and prioritize strategies that help more people move indoors: https://action.luckyduckfoundation.org/

Together, we can ensure San Diego continues moving forward 🍀

06/05/2026

Today in San Diego, 9 out of 10 requests for shelter go unfulfilled. Despite this overwhelming unmet need, and despite the Lucky Duck Foundation’s offer to help, the City of San Diego is proposing reducing shelter capacity at one of the bridge shelters owned by the Lucky Duck Foundation.

We are asking for 30 seconds of your time to help prevent this from happening.

Using the link below, you can send a pre-drafted letter to the Mayor and City Council urging them not to reduce shelter capacity. As outlined in the letter, thanks to our donors, the Lucky Duck Foundation is prepared to deploy our philanthropic resources to help ensure shelter capacity is not reduced.

Additionally, today we launched a new countywide shelter inventory designed to publicly track shelter capacity across every city in San Diego County. The goal is simple: establish a clear baseline that shelter capacity across San Diego County should only increase from current levels. And, the Lucky Duck Foundation is fully prepared to help by funding new and immediate pathways off the streets.

Thank you in advance for "sharing your luck" by taking 30 seconds to sign your name to our letter to urge City Council not to reduce shelter capacity:

There are thousands of seniors and youth suffering on the streets. Elected officials must take tangible and decisive action immediately.

06/02/2026

Opportunity can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. At , students don’t just prepare for college — they gain real-world experience while they’re still in high school. Through a unique corporate work-study model, students work weekly with local employers, earning a significant portion of their tuition while building professional skills and confidence for the future. The results are remarkable: every Cristo Rey student receives financial aid, every graduating senior is accepted to college, and students graduate with four years of professional work experience already under their belts.

Because some Cristo Rey students are experiencing housing instability, the Lucky Duck Foundation partnered with Cristo Rey and to create meaningful employment opportunities for six students, helping them gain valuable work experience while building a stronger foundation for the future.

Together, we can continue investing in opportunities that help prevent homelessness before it starts and create brighter futures for San Diego’s youth 🍀

05/28/2026

This is what happens when compassion meets collaboration.

More than 1 million pounds of food have now been rescued through the partnership between the Lucky Duck Foundation, Feeding San Diego and Salvation Army San Diego — turning food that would have gone to waste into meals, opportunity, and hope for our community.

But the impact goes far beyond food. The program also provides job training and employment for individuals working to overcome homelessness, helping participants build stability, confidence, and a path forward. Nearly every Salvation Army resident who has participated has gone on to secure full-time employment and permanent housing.

To build on this momentum, we are proud to commit an additional $250,000 to help extend and expand the program 🍀

Thank you NBC 7 San Diego for the feature!

05/27/2026

Together with Feeding San Diego and Salvation Army San Diego, the Lucky Duck Foundation is proud to celebrate an incredible milestone: more than 1,000,000 pounds of perfectly good food rescued from landfills while simultaneously creating jobs and pathways forward for individuals working to overcome homelessness.

This partnership is more than food rescue — it’s a model that works. With support from LDF, Salvation Army residents are trained and employed as food rescue route drivers, collecting surplus food through routes coordinated by Feeding San Diego. That food then goes directly back into the community to support neighbors experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The impact has been transformational: creating meaningful job training, full-time employment opportunities, permanent housing outcomes, and food access for neighbors in need.

And we’re not stopping here. To help extend and expand this proven program, the Lucky Duck Foundation is committing an additional $250,000 in support 🍀 This milestone proves what’s possible when organizations come together with urgency, compassion, and a commitment to strategies that truly alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego.

You can learn more about this initiative here on our website: https://bit.ly/4u4MBrv