It’s the easiest fundraiser you’ll participate in this year – all you have to do is pick up a menu and dine out.
On April 30, some of the best-loved restaurants across Vancouver Island will come together to take part in Dining Out For Life, AIDS Vancouver Island’s annual fundraiser supporting island programs and services for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
For this one day, participating restaurants will donate 25 per cent of food sales to AVI. Now celebrating its 10th year, Dining Out For Life has raised more than $350,000 for programs and services across Vancouver Island.
For restaurateurs, the event offers a chance to showcase their community spirit, as well as to connect with potential new customers: diners are encouraged to get out and enjoy a meal at their favourite local establishment, or to try out a new one, with many restaurants offering special menu items on the day.
For AVI, the fundraiser provides much-needed financial support for their programs and services, which span across the island from Port Hardy to Victoria, and include hot meal programs, nutrition education, counselling, HIV testing, education and prevention workshops, and nursing care. Through this comprehensive combination of services, AVI is working to reduce Vancouver Island’s rate of new HIV infections to zero.
“We need the support of the community more than ever – the demand for our services continues to grow and our funding has not kept pace. We’re closer than ever to getting to zero new infections on Vancouver Island and need to stay focused on reaching this goal,” said Katrina Jensen, executive director at AIDS Vancouver Island.
The list of participating restaurants is available at avi.org/dineout.