In-N-Out Burger’s has launched a new nonprofit called the His Eyes Foundation to combat homelessness in the nine states where the chain currently does business.
His Eyes is holding its inaugural fundraising campaign this month in In-N-Out restaurants, where customers are invited to round up their purchases for the cause. In-N-Out will match contributions three-to-one up to $300,000.
November is National Homelessness Awareness Month.
The foundation was formed by In-N-Out owner and president Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and her husband, Sean Ellingson, to honor the legacy of the late actor Evan Ellingson, Sean’s brother.
Evan Ellingson was known for playing Kyle, son of Horatio Caine (David Caruso) on the long-running police procedural “CSI: Miami.” He died at age 35 in Fontana of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2023, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
“The His Eyes Foundation was born from the precious life of Sean’s brother and our beloved family member who strongly believed in the value of every human being, that every life deserves a chance, and every soul deserves to be seen,” Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and Sean Ellingson said in a statement. “Through this mission, we are committed to bringing hope, dignity, and essential resources to those experiencing homelessness. We are not just offering aid but also respect and humanity to those who need it most.”
Evan Ellingson “believed that we should view people experiencing homelessness through God’s Eyes,” according to his bio on the His Eyes website.
The foundation aims to inspire “faith-based hope” among its other goals: emergency relief, housing solutions, employment programs and advocacy.
His Eyes is the third foundation supported by In-N-Out, according to its website. The In-N-Out Burger Foundation was founded in 1984 by Esther and Rich Snyder, Lynsi’s grandmother and uncle, to combat child abuse and neglect.
It was followed by Slave 2 Nothing, set up by Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson and Sean Ellingson in 2016. It works to combat substance abuse and human trafficking, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars a year through annual fundraisers that tap into In-N-Out’s image as a Southern California brand.
A rock show at the Hollywood Palladium in October raised funds to combat substance abuse and featured In-N-Out’s “family band” opening for headliner Papa Roach. And a car cruise in Redondo Beach on Jan. 17 will raise funds to fight human trafficking.
Like Slave 2 Nothing, His Eyes will funnel 100% of donations to organizations on the ground in communities In-N-Out serves.
In-N-Out currently has restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, and it will soon be in Tennessee, where it is setting up offices for an eastern hub.
In-N-Out’s headquarters are in Irvine, but it has announced it will pull out by the end of the decade and return to Baldwin Park, where it was founded in 1948.
Information: hiseyesfoundation.org, in-n-out.com/foundations