“American Idol” album Danny Gokey is coming to Northern California with his cool “Bus Stop” giveback program.
The multiple-Grammy nominee is joining with the local nonprofit City of Refuge to give out free ice cream to homeless children in Sacramento on March 9, according to a news release.
Gokey’s Better Than I Found it nonprofit program — which strives to empower individuals and organizations to continue charitable works and other community efforts — will be providing the supplies for City of Refuge’s “Wonder” ice cream truck. Then the chart-topping star will ride along with the Wonder truck and serve ice cream to kids whose families are receiving housing support from City of Refuge (cityofrefugesac.com).
“I am so excited to visit City of Refuge in Sacramento,” says Gokey. “The Ditmores (who founded City of Refuge] have impacted their city in such a beautiful way. They house homeless families, they help addicts find freedom, they educate and love on children, and they keep dreaming up creative ways to minister to the needs of their community. I’m so glad we can help them bring their next vision to life so more lives can experience the hope of Jesus.”
Better Than I Found It is also donating building supplies as well as baby piglets and goats to the new Be Love Farm in Vacaville, “which will be used as a retreat and counseling center for individuals and families enrolled in the City of Refuge programs,” according to the news release. Gokey will be present for a ribbon cutting for the construction projects at the farm on March 9. Visit belovefarm.com for more information on the farm.
After serving ice cream and taking part in the ribbon cutting, the contemporary Christian music star — who finished third on the eighth season of “American Idol” in 2009 — will bring his Jesus People Tour with guests Jordan Feliz and Blanca to the Trinity Life Center in Sacramento at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.dannygokey.com/tour/.
The vocalist is supporting his most recent full-length, “Jesus People,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart after being released in 2021. His best-known songs include the chart-toppers “Hope in Front of Me,” “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” and “Rise.”
Gokey and Better Than I Found It — which operates on the stated belief “that we can leave the world better than we found it” — have scheduled a number of “Bus Stop” events along this tour. On March 4 — prior to playing a concert that same day at Faith Chapel in Spring Valley — Gokey will be helping give away 400 pairs of free shoes to kids in need in the San Diego area. The event will take place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (or until supplies run out) at Horace Mann Middle School, 4345 54th St., San Diego.
“I have four kids, and we are constantly buying shoes for them because they grow out of them so fast,” says Gokey. “I started thinking about how hard that must be for families who are already struggling to make ends meet. I thought maybe we could help lighten that burden for them, and we found this church that had a history of that in their community, but had been unable to help since the pandemic.
“We are helping them relaunch this ‘kicks for kids’ initiative. We’re also sending shoes to an orphanage the church supports that is deep in the heart of Mexico. They don’t get as much support from American churches as ones closer to the US border.”
For more information, visit www.betterthanifoundit.org.
