Donation dolphins pay off
By Daily Press staff
Downtown business representatives cashed in last week on behalf of the homeless.
Officials from the Bayside District Corp., which manages downtown Santa Monica with City Hall, emptied the contents of four dolphin statues about town last Thursday. The dolphins serve as an alternative to donating money directly to panhandlers. The money collected goes directly to social service programs on the Westside.
Although it’s not known how much was collected last week, the dolphin program has generated more than $100,000 for social service programs in the past decade, according to officials.
In an effort to deter panhandlers from the downtown area, officials started the dolphin program in 1993. The idea was to give passersby an alternative means of donating money to the homeless, rather than putting cash directly into the hands of vagrants themselves, many of whom might spend their last dollar on drugs or booze.
The dolphins are emptied about once every three months, and are full of things besides cash, including bathroom tokens, prize tickets from the pier, trash, sand and sometimes, letters from homeless people.
One anonymous donor makes his generous contribution regularly, slipping in two or three rolls of five $20 bills, officials said.
There are two dolphin sculptures on the Third Street Promenade, one is located on the Santa Monica Pier, and the other is situated at Main Street and Ashland Avenue. A small dolphin bank resides at the Canyon Charter School.
About $14,000 a year is raised through the dolphins, with the proceeds being awarded to a social service provider each fall during the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition Success Breakfast. The award is part of the Marianne Dorn Memorial Grant. Dorn’s trust left a significant donation to the program in 1998 following her death, and the money is given in her honor. Last year’s recipient was the Venice Family Clinic, which received $5,000.
While the program has been successful in monetary terms, it remains unclear what impact it’s had on curbing panhandling in the area.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 6, 2005. Read the original PDF.