Each year, hundreds upon hundreds of Buffalonians head out to eat as part of Dining Out For Life. On that day, the restaurants donate a portion of the bill to Evergreen Health. an organization that offers support services for those with HIV. This year, 90 restaurants will be participating in the event, which means that there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. Actually, that’s the hardest part of the entire fundraising effort – choosing which restaurant you want to attend! And remember, you can choose to go out for breakfast, lunch, dinner… or all three if you’re feeling really hungry and generous.
The theme for this year’s DINING OUT FOR LIFE, presented by KeyBank and Evergreen Health, shows just how easy it is for Western New Yorkers to help fight HIV/AIDS. All you have to do is go out to eat – breakfast, lunch or dinner – on Tuesday, October 10 at one of the 90 participating restaurants in Erie, Niagara or Chautauqua counties.
That’s it.
The participating restaurants, in turn, will donate anywhere from 25 to 100 percent of the cost of your meal to DINING OUT FOR LIFE. Best of all, all the money raised that night stays right here in Western New York and goes to support the programs and services provided by Evergreen Health.
That’s right.
Since 1983, Evergreen Health has been on the front line, providing programs and services to people living with HIV. Evergreen fosters healthy communities by providing medical, supportive and behavioral services every year to more than 10,000 individuals and families who are impacted by chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
Evergreen does this through a variety of HIV specialty care services throughout the region, including primary care; full-service pharmacy; nutrition support; housing and transportation assistance, and mental health services.
Western New York’s DINING OUT FOR LIFE event typically raises more than $100,000 – last year the event raised $131,000 – thanks to generous Western New Yorkers who enjoy eating out and the fact that participating in Dining Out For Life is so easy.
Presenting Sponsor KeyBank will match, dollar for dollar, money donated by diners the night of the event, up to $10,000, and will provide a large contingent of employees who will volunteer at the event.
Award-winning chefs Steve and Ellen Gedra of The Black Sheep Restaurant & Bar are back to serve as co-chairs of the event for the second consecutive year and are donating 50 percent of each food bill (including alcohol) to DINING OUT FOR LIFE. Black Sheep wait staff will also donate a portion of their tips that evening.
New this year: Lyft is offering diners up to a 20 percent discount off rides ($10 per ride two rides per person maximum) that originate or end in the greater Buffalo area on October 10 between 5:00 p.m. and midnight when they enter the DINEOUTWNY code in the Lyft app.
To see a list of all of the participating restaurants, click here. Be sure to check out the percentage of the bill that each restaurant is donating to the cause. Also, there are designations that state whether the restaurants are open for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, so be sure to figure out when you want to dine, and then make sure that the place is open for business at that time. You can also sort by donation amount, alphabetical listings, or even by zip code.
Help spread the word about this delicious event for a very worthwhile cause: #ChewsToHelp #DineOutWNY
15th annual Dining Out For Life
Tuesday, October 10, 2017