Downtown T.O. prepares to celebrate the spirit of St. Patrick's Day at 4th Annual Lucky Ball charity fundraiser

TORONTO, March 11, 2016 /CNW/ -

STORY:

• Hundreds of young professionals prepare to party at one of Toronto's best St. Patrick's charity balls to raise tens of thousands of dollars to help those less fortunate in Toronto's rapidly growing and gentrifying downtown west.
• One of Toronto's largest charitable food banks is preparing for its 4^th annual St. Patrick's themed Lucky Ball fundraiser. The downtown party attracts hundreds of downtown residents with proceeds going to serve the clients of the Fort York Food Bank (contributing >20% of FYFB's operating budget). Despite the name, Fort York Food Bank actually serves the entire downtown west community (essentially from Yonge west to Dovercourt and Bloor south to the lake) and is located in the up-and-coming DuWest neighbourhood.
• In 2015, Fort York Food Bank earned Charity Intelligence's highest 4-Star rating for excelling in financial transparency, accountability to donors and cost-efficiency.

MEDIA INFO:
WHAT AND WHO:	4^th Annual Lucky Ball fundraiser celebrating the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and benefitting the Fort York Food Bank
WHEN:	Thursday, March 17 from 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
WHEN:	Revival Bar, 783 College St (southeast corner of College St. and Shaw St., east of Ossington)
More Info and Tickets:	luckyball.ca (see backgrounder below)
Twitter:	@fyfoodbank
Hashtag:	#Luckyball2016
Facebook:	Fort York Food Bank
Video for broadcast/embedding:	Fort York Food Bank Youtube channel or http://bit.ly/1LNnJOU
Photos from previous Lucky Balls:	http://www.luckyball.ca/lucky-2015/

STORY OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD OF EVENT

• Radio: Interviewing Board chairman Chris Murphy on the importance of this event to the community the food bank serves and how the event ties the growing community together.
• TV/Print/Online: Visiting the Food Bank during community lunch and doing a story on the programs and volunteers, and the help provided by this fundraiser, which is supported by the neighbours and businesses in the community.
• Providing notice of the event in your local calendars.

STORY OPPORTUNITIES NIGHT OF EVENT

• TV/Print/Online: Availability for live hits, taped visuals/interviews, photography with interviews of Lucky Ball Committee members and attendees for nightly/morning stories.

WHAT LUCKY BALL NEEDS

• People to buy tickets and party!
• Silent auction donations
• Corporate sponsorship dollars which provide prominent recognition of the company in marketing collateral
• If people can't attend but want to help, tax receipted charitable donations through fyfb.com

ABOUT LUCKY BALL

Launched in 2013, the Lucky Ball is the largest and most prominent fundraising event for the Fort York Food Bank (FYFB), generating approximately 20% of the charity's annual cash operating budget. The Lucky Ball recorded an incredible turnout of 400 guests in 2014 and this success continued in 2015. The cocktail attire event provides attendees with great music, gift bags, open bar and hors d'oeuvres and has become one of the most popular St. Patrick's Day parties in Toronto while increasing FYFB's connection to the downtown west community we serve.

ABOUT FORT YORK FOOD BANK AND WHO WE SERVE

FYFB was founded in 1998, and is a grassroots charitable organization that directly assists families and individuals in need who live in downtown Toronto. The charity is non-denominational, receives no government funding and is not politically aligned. FYFB is volunteer-driven, with only one paid staff member and is one of the largest food banks serving Toronto. FYFB serves over 1,100 clients every month, approximately 40% of whom are recent immigrants or refugees and 15% are children. The typical client survives on $3 per day after housing costs. FYFB provides vital services that can help prevent homelessness within this vulnerable population, by feeding the hungry through the provision of groceries and hot meals and helping people get on track by offering a variety of supportive services in a safe environment so they can find jobs, safe housing, and appropriate social/community programs. Being a local organization, FYFB staff and volunteers take the time to speak with clients that come through the door, as each client contact is an opportunity to establish trust and identify core needs beyond the immediacy of food.

SOURCE Fort York Food Bank

Video with caption: "The Lucky Ball is the largest fundraising event for the Fort York Food Bank, a non-denominational and non-government funded charity that directly assists families and individuals in need in downtown west Toronto. The proceeds from the Lucky Ball go to support the food bank’s programs.". Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIkntmVbecw

Image with caption: "The Lucky Ball 2016 (CNW Group/Fort York Food Bank)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160311_C1417_PHOTO_EN_640835.jpg

MEDIA CONTACT: TIM FORAN, 416-986-8515; [email protected]