Por Margie M. Palmer

Nonprofit to celebrate a decade with ‘Wacky Wingding’

Chef Julie Darling was born into a family who believed in giving back.

Throughout the years, Darling, who owns Just Call Us Catering and Kitchen Rental, has served on countless committees, chaired numerous fundraising events and has donated her catering services to Helen Woodward’s Spring Fling, Mama’s Kitchen and Rady Children’s Hospital, to name a few.

Her volunteerism reached its peak in 2005, when she founded Just Call Us Volunteers (JCUV).

Since that time, JCUV has worked with a number of local nonprofits to help feed San Diego’s homeless fresh and nutritious meals.

On Sept. 16, the organization will celebrate more than a decade of volunteerism with The Wacky Wingding party and fundraiser. Darling hopes the circus-themed event will raise upward of $50,000.

“We’re a 100 percent volunteer organization and we’ve never had any payroll,” Darling said, estimating that JCUV serves between 7,000 and 10,000 meals to homeless San Diegans each year.

And while she admits the organization has certainly expanded their meal service in the past decade, their mission to help feed the homeless has not wavered.

“About 10 years ago, one Christmas, I realized I didn’t have anything to do, and instead of sitting at home doing nothing I found someone who was going to make food and serve it down on the streets,” Darling said. “I called and asked if they needed help.”

With this, the idea to start a nonprofit that would work to feed San Diego’s homeless community fresh and nutritious meals was born.

“It started out with Christmas but then we started doing Thanksgiving,” she said. “Now we do Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.”

Partnering with the nonprofit community

Veteran’s Village of San Diego’s (VVSD) is among the many nonprofits that JCUV has collaborated with; Darling said that JCUV volunteers also serve the last meal at Stand Down, an annual event hosted by VVSD that assists homeless veterans in accessing VA benefits, employment, job counseling and other key services.

VVSD Development Manager Joe Perucca said were it not for the support of volunteers, including those working with JCUV, Stand Down wouldn’t be able to happen.

“We thank them for participating and for donating their time to helping us feed San Diego’s homeless veterans,” he said.

In addition to working with Veteran’s Village, JCUV also collaborates with a number of other nonprofit groups including the Alpha Project, Rachel’s Women’s Shelter, the Monarch School and San Diego Center for Children.

“Alpha Project is extremely grateful for the ongoing support we receive from Just Call Us Volunteers,” said Alpha Project CEO Bob McElroy. “For the past 10 years, especially on holidays, they have provided nutritious meals to thousands of our clients, making a big difference in their day.”

Life skills manager for San Diego Center for Children Tina Reyes-Magnanelli, M.A., said SDCC has been working with Darling and her team of volunteers for approximately five years.

“Julie and her group of wonderful volunteers come on the last Sunday of each month to provide a beautifully catered meal for our Family Day Luncheons,” Reyes-Magnanelli said. “[They] always arrive on time, with a smile and are eager to interact positively with our kids and their families. The experience of eating a delicious cuisine is always enhanced by their desire to make our kids feel special and cared for — and nothing brightens their day more than to know others care about them.”

JCUV is also actively involved with Mama’s Kitchen. Each year, volunteers prepare 300 pecan pies for their Pie in the Sky bake sale, which helps provide thousands of meals for local San Diegans who are affected by AIDS or cancer.

The fundraiser

JCUV’s Wacky Wingding, A 10th Anniversary Celebration, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Francis W. Parker School, upper school campus, 6501 Linda Vista Road, in Linda Vista.

The event will begin at 4 p.m. for families with children of all ages and include strolling and staged entertainment such as acrobats, stilt-walkers and clowns.

At 7 p.m., the night will evolve into a party that’s more geared toward adults, with burlesque, fire twirling and more.

A delicious selection of bites and tastes prepared by local chefs will accompany the entertainment all day and evening long.

Participating chefs from Cardamom, Chinitas Pies, Cupcakes Squared, California Table, Dobson’s, Fishbone, High Dive, Mess Hall, Super Natural Sandwiches, Sundra, Wrench & Rodent, Woo Bar and others will be lending their culinary expertise to help prepare the night’s food selections.

Entertainment for the circus-themed celebratory fundraiser will be provided by Fern Street Circus, Drop Dead Dames Burlesque, Fiora Firefly, and others.

Advance tickets are available en línea. The cost to attend is $120 for couples, $90 for single tickets and $10 for children ages 6 to 17. Children ages 5 and younger can attend for free.

For more information about JCUV, the Wacky Wingding and/or how to make a tax-deductible donation, visit justcallusvolunteers.org.

—Margie M. Palmer is a San Diego-based freelance writer who has been racking up bylines in a myriad of news publications for the past 10 years. You can write to her at [email protected].