If you live in Dallas and weren’t at The Victor last Thursday, December 1, 2022, you missed a stellar event for quite a worthy cause — feeding hungry families.
Hosted by Sean Rakidzich, the world’s top short-term rental hospitality expert, YouTuber and influencer, the event raised over $1,200 from more than 120 guests, who partied the night away at the top of the elegant, 40-story ‘it’ destination building that has become an icon of Dallas’ Victory Park skyline.
You may know Rakidzich from his online content, which offers tips and education for people that rent their space on Airbnb. Or perhaps you’ve seen him in Financial Insider or The Financial Times.
The hospitality expert rents over 150 properties — none of which he owns outright. They are all short-term rental addresses — and have made the host over $10 million on the popular home-sharing platform.
Community Collaboration
The freshly un-retired entrepreneur had fully automated his business for over a year, turning his attention toward creating content to help others, speaking events, and doing charitable work to give back to his community. His first order of business upon his return to leading his 155 door operation? Celebration.
December first’s event was his first large-scale party in collaboration with The Harvest Project Food Rescue to raise awareness and provide meals for families in need. But, based on its success, it certainly won’t be the last.
The event was also a housewarming to welcome prospective neighbors to Rakidzich’s new home in the sophisticated 343-unit skyscraper. The building features a mix of one- and two-bedroom suites and penthouses and is one of the city’s most sought-after addresses. Initially, the entrepreneur’s space in The Victor acted as a place for an event that brought awareness to local food insecurity and waste, but now he will call it home.
“It’s exciting to start a new year in a beautiful space, with amazing neighbors and a worthy cause to get behind,” he said. “This was just the start of how we plan to make supporting hunger initiatives engaging and fun. So many people aren’t aware of the food waste and insecurity that runs rampant in our society. I really enjoyed sharing my resources at an event where we not only brought light to the issue but also helped the organization feed more families in need. The Harvest Project serves needy Dallas residents in spades.”
Having Fun, Helping Families
The host was proud to share with Valiant CEO that all of the food served at the event was crafted from donated ingredients. Guests feasted on a variety of hors d’oeuvres and unique small plates as they enjoyed an open bar, courtesy of Rakidzich.
A number of Dallas’ best artists were in attendance, as were members of the media, prominent local business owners, social media influencers, and the event quickly gained coverage on Culture Map.
The music was an eclectic assortment of mellow, lush electronic music. One guest said the party had “a glamorous, modern penthouse vibe.”
The Harvest Project was not only deeply grateful for the opportunity to bring such a large amount of awareness to their cause, they later asked Rakidzich if he would be willing to join their board. It was an honor he accepted without hesitation.
About The Harvest Project Food Rescue
Launched in 2014, The Harvest Project Food Rescue serves countless families across the Dallas area through a unique food distribution system that provides fresh produce free of charge.
Co-founders Danae Gutierrez and Luis Carillo work alongside South Coast Produce Inc. to redirect less-than-perfect produce from grocery stores to underserved families that are lacking in fresh food.
Charities like this are especially important since they work toward zero-waste goals and are redirecting resources that would normally go into a landfill — despite there being lots of people nearby who can’t afford fresh produce and would gladly use it to feed their families.
The non-profit has been working for eight years to conquer the issues of food insecurity and waste in a unique and helpful way.
“We are helping our communities decolonize their respective diets to live a healthier life and promote a sustainable food system,” Gutierrez shared. “We are dedicated to spearheading city policy and state laws to achieve food justice for all.”
Click HERE to learn more about donating or volunteering to The Harvest Project Food Rescue.
To make sure you don’t miss Rakidzich’s next viral Airbnb-related video or find out when his next see-and-be-seen charitable event happens, subscribe to his YouTube channel.
About Sean Rakidzich
With over $10 million in revenue generated as an Airbnb host, Sean Rakidzich (previously of Airbnb Automated) is the leading expert, entrepreneur and influencer in short-term rental education and operations on the Internet. He will soon be expanding his teachings beyond just Airbnb to include Peerspace, Turo, VRBO, Booking.com, and more. For more information, please visit www.rakidzich.com/
