Puppy elves greet stressed out shoppers

Surf Dog Ricochet, a certified therapy dog, accompanied a bevy of puppies to Barnes & Noble in Hazard Center to spend the afternoon with holiday shoppers Dec. 3. Ricochet is a surfing canine ambassador for Surfers with Disabilities and other nonprofit programs.

Some military veterans met the pups at the shopping center to help them with their socialization activities with humans. The veterans were all graduates of the Paws’itive Teams Emotional Support Dog program, which prepares individuals to help train service dogs.

The puppies were undergoing training to become emotional support, therapy and service dogs. Shoppers were able to relieve shopping stress by interacting with the canines and also had the chance to thank the veterans for their service.

The event was held to kick off the annual Surfin’ Santa Paws Holiday Giving Drive to benefit therapy dog programs. Donations are being accepted online at bit.ly/2fUfW2H. Veterans wishing to take part in the emotional support dog program may learn more at bit.ly/2fUcViR.

JCPenney, Chargers player host special shopping day

Darrell Stuckey, Jr., a safety for the San Diego Chargers, was on hand Dec. 7 to host a special private shopping session for underserved children from the San Diego Armed Services YMCA at the JCPenney store in Fashion Valley Mall. Stuckey, along with some of the Chargers cheerleaders, helped the kids select presents for their family and friends in an effort to allow them to participate in the act of giving this holiday season.

In addition, JCPenney made a $100,000 donation to the Y to help strengthen youth development. The mission of San Diego Armed Services YMCA is to enhance the lives of service members and their families facing the unique challenges of military life.

Hotel Investment Group buys property

Hotel Investment Group (HIG) purchased an office complex at 2254 Moore St. near San Diego’s Old Town. HIG develops select hotel projects under the “Lifestyle Brand” banner. Other local “Lifestyle Hotels” include Holiday Inn Express and Hotel Iris, both in Hotel Circle.

HIG plans to convert the 10,000-square-foot building in Old Town into an extended-stay boutique hotel. Construction is estimated to last about eight months and will start in 2017. The opening of the new hotel is scheduled for October.

OrderUp now serves Mission Valley

OrderUp, an online restaurant food delivery service, recently added Mission Valley to its territories. OrderUp currently delivers food from 30 Mission Valley restaurants such as Broken Yolk, Bunz, Daphne’s, El Pollo Loco, Gaglione Brothers, Jersey Mike’s, Pita Pit, SanSai, Embargo Grill, Tandoori House and The Works.

Customers can place an order either online at orderup.com or through an app. Once the customer creates an account, a list of available restaurants appears. Customers may choose items from a menu, place their order and make their payment. Customers are able to track the progress of the delivery. Local delivery times vary between 30 and 40 minutes, and delivery cost is between $5 and $6 depending on how far away the restaurant is located. Andrew Kootman is the owner of OrderUp in San Diego.

Entities join forces to benefit charities

The Randy Jones Golf Invitational and Pacific Hospitality Group have agreed to merge efforts to increase funds raised for charities through golf tournaments countywide. Randy Jones, a former pitcher with the San Diego Padres and winner of the 1976 Cy Young Award, recently signed the agreement with Fred Grand, president of Pacific Hospitality Group, Inc.

All PHG entities, including Hacienda Hotel Old Town, Old Town Tequila Factory, Warner Springs Ranch Resort and Salt Creek Golf Club, will now become sponsors of the Randy Jones Golf Invitational. They will provide discounts and gift certificates for tournaments and finals, as well as provide lunches for tournament events for the next three years. Participating Randy Jones Invitational charities will also be eligible to receive gift certificates and discounts from PHG entities for their own fundraising golf tournaments.

“With a goal of involving as many local charities as possible, the Randy Jones Invitational is unique in that it encourages the top teams from other charity golf tournaments to compete and raise money for their respective causes,” Grand said in a written statement.