Fashion show benefits Promises2Kids
Locals feasted on food and fashion for a good cause April 17 at CUCINA enoteca in Del Mar.
The charitable luncheon and fashion show featured food and drinks from the California-inspired Italian restaurant and wine shop, as well as clothing and accessories from Maggie B and TRE Boutique, which are also located in Del Mar’s Flower Hill Promenade.
A portion of the event ticket sales, as well as funds from opportunity drawings, benefited Promises2Kids, a nonprofit organization that supports foster children and fights against child abuse and neglect in San Diego County.
Promises2Kids CEO Tonya Torosian said community support is “critical” for the organization.
“Not only does it help us with funding, but it helps us spread awareness about foster care,” Torosian said. “That’s the biggest advantage of things like today.”
More than 3,300 children are in the foster care system in San Diego County.
Promises2Kids supports these children through its four core programs: Polinsky Children’s Center, Camp Connect, Guardian Scholars and Foster Funds.
More than 2,000 children are cared for each year at Polinsky Children’s Center, an emergency shelter in San Diego for abused and neglected children. Promises2Kids, then known as the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, raised $12 million to build the six-acre facility, which opened in 1994.
Camp Connect reunites siblings that have been separated in foster care. The four-day summer camp is held each year in the mountains of Julian. Following summer camp, Camp Connect hosts a variety of monthly day camps.
Promises2Kids’ Guardian Scholars program encourages foster youth to pursue higher education. The program provides participating students with academic scholarships, financial aid workshops, and college planning and mentoring support.
Lastly, Foster Funds provides support for foster children’s special requests such as sports equipment, music classes, class photos or college application fees.
“Our restaurants are places people come to dine and enjoy. We want to have a nice sense of community,” said Cate Hughes, marketing and wine director of CUCINA enoteca. “We’re a busy, successful restaurant, so we want to make sure part of our profits go back to the community and ensure that money spreads around in a positive way.”
This is the second time the restaurant has held a charity luncheon and fashion show.
CUCINA enoteca previously partnered with local boutiques to host a fashion show to benefit Center for Community Solutions, which operates the only rape crisis center in the city of San Diego along with a countywide 24-hour bilingual crisis helpline.
“It’s really important for us to work together,” Hughes said.
In addition to the luncheon and fashion show, CUCINA enoteca is supporting Promises2Kids through its monthly Sip and Support campaign. For every bottle of CUCINA private label wine or carafe of CUCINA tap wine sold throughout April, CUCINA will donate $1 to Promises2Kids.
CUCINA enoteca is located at 2730 Via de La Valle in Del Mar.
For more information about CUCINA enoteca, visit www.cucinaenoteca.com.
For more information about Promises2Kids, visit promises2kids.org.
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