Giant Inflatable Duck Takes Residence in Farmington Park for a Worthy Cause

Over in Farmington, an enormous inflatable duck has taken up temporary residence in Shiawassee Park this week. The six-story, yellow bird, which reportedly weighs a whopping 15 tons, is not just there for show, but for charity.

This is all part of an event hosted by a local social service agency named CARES, which has turned the fun pastime of a rubber ducky race into a fundraiser for their food pantry. In a heroic effort to attract attention and raise funds, they collaborated with the owner of the giant inflatable duck who lent his iconic rubber duck for the week.

The fundraiser involved the release of around 8,000 tiny rubber ducks into the nearby Rouge River. The final fundraising total wasn’t immediately known as of Friday. However, it is reported that CARES requires monthly funds amounting to $14,000 to fulfill its commitment to feeding 750 families across Farmington, Farmington Hills, Livonia, Northville, Novi, Redford Township, Southfield and West Bloomfield Township.

Together with the charm of the world’s largest inflatable duck, locals were capivated by photos of tiny rubber duckies floating down the Rouge River, which no doubt provided a heartening spectacle while raising money for such a great cause. Apart from this, CARES also operates a food pantry for families and a small grocery on the campus of the former St. Alexander’s Catholic church on Shiawassee Street in Farmington.