American Idol's Danny Gokey helping families in need in Macon at "Bus Stop" Giveaway event on Saturday, September 30th

On Saturday, September 30th, Danny Gokey and his nonprofit Better Than I found It will present a giveaway event and helping Macon's Shirley Duncan as she helps needy kids in the community.

 Gokey appeared on the eighth season of American Idol where he finished as the third place finalist and his is also a three time Grammy award nominee.

Shirley Duncan has been feeding more than 150 people hot meals in her yard every week for the last 6 years. Her mission to feed her community began when a hungry young boy knocked on the door of her and her husband's door and asked for some water. 

Since then, she has continued her mission of helping the community, even after the passing of her husband David less than a year ago. Duncan has been giving out water, snacks, cooking hot meals on Friday nights, and handing out school supplies, shoes, and more.

Gokey and Better Than I Found It will be helping Shirley by helping her build her yard out so that it will better work for her Friday night dinners and helping her form a nonprofit. They will also be providing additional much needed assistance to families in the community.

Gokey will also be performing later that evening at 7 p.m. at the Real Life Church in Macon.

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The following information is from a recent a press release from Better Than I Found It that discusses Duncan as well as Gokey's missions in more detail: 

Nashville, TN – Better Than I Found It, the nonprofit organization founded by American Idol alum and three-time GRAMMY® nominee Danny Gokey, has announced their special “Bus Stop” Giveback event throwing a special event for kids in need in Macon, GA on Saturday, 9/30.

For the last 6 years, an elderly couple, David and Shirley Duncan, have been providing afterschool snacks and hosting a weekly Friday night dinner (called “The Hot Dog Club”) to neighborhood kids in need, some of whom walk up to three miles for this chance to eat, with over 150 people receiving a hot meal in their yard every Friday night. Eight months ago, David Duncan passed away, and Shirley Duncan continues to cover the cost of the snacks and Friday meal herself and through the donations of her volunteers.

Better Than I Found It plans to assist Shirley with building out her yard to accommodate the Friday night dinners, including helping her fix the drainage issues in her yard and expanding her deck. They also plan to assist her in pursuing formal nonprofit status to continue this work and provide additional assistance to the families she serves. Better Than I Found It will also be throwing a special event for the kids Shirley serves at her home in Macon on Saturday, September 30.

“I can’t wait for everyone to meet Shirley Duncan and hear the story behind the Hot Dog Club. The scripture that I often use to explain the mission of Better Than I Found It is Mark 9:41 which says, ‘And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.’ That’s exactly how the Hot Dog Club got started, with just a cup of cold water. Miss Shirley exemplifies giving what you have and watching God multiply the impact.”

Danny Gokey will also be performing Saturday, 9/30 at 7:00 PM at Real Life Church in Macon, GA as a part of his “Stay Strong” tour with Austin French and Natalie Layne. More information can be found at DannyGokey.com. Additional information on Better Than I Found It can be found at betterthanifoundit.org.

About Better Than I Found It:

Better Than I Found It is an outreach arm of Tell Somebody Movement, founded by Danny Gokey. A unique nonprofit, its mission is to empower other good-hearted individuals and organizations to continue their selfless work, bridging the gap between need and resources. The driver is the belief that we can leave the world better than we found it. By shining a light on the good and providing tangible resources to hardworking nonprofits, BTIFI empowers them to continue and amplify their positive impact on communities. See more on Facebook and Instagram and at betterthanifoundit.org.

About Danny Gokey:

Three-time Grammy Nominee, three-time KLOVE Male Vocalist of the Year, Dove Award winner, and eight-time Dove Award Nominee, Milwaukee native Danny Gokey became a favorite of millions of fans as a Top 3 finalist on Season Eight of American Idol. Following Idol, Gokey dropped his first album, My Best Days and since that time has celebrated a series of No. 1s including his follow up releases Hope In Front of Me, Rise, Haven’t Seen It Yet, holiday albums, Christmas Is Here and The Greatest Gift and, most recently, Jesus People, released in August 2021, which explores a broad spectrum of musical styles. Spawning singles like “Hope In Front of Me”, “Rise,” “The Comeback,” “Love God Love People,” and RIAA Gold-certified “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” and “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” Danny Gokey has cemented his place on the radio charts with multi-week, multi-chart-topping runs in the United States, Canada, and now Latin markets with the releases of Spanish singles and collaborations. The desire to make a broader impact with his message of hope led to the founding of nonprofit organization Better Than I Found It, which continues to host 'Bus Stop’ give back events. He and his wife Leyiet also launched Livin’ la Vida Gokey, a podcast featuring conversations about faith and family. They currently live outside Nashville, TN with their four beautiful children, Daniel, Victoria, Gabriel, and Emanuel. Find out more at DannyGokey.com.