By KYLE HUMPHREYS
Staff Writer
Numerous restaurants in Northeastern New York will be donating 25% or more of profits to Alliance for Positive Health for their 16th annual Dining Out For Life fundraiser this Thursday. Restaurants participating range from Albany and as far as Plattsburgh.
To participate, patrons must make reservations or visit a restaurant and mention Alliance for Positive Health when ordering meals or drinks. A full list of restaurants participating in the fundraiser is available on the Alliance for Positive Health website or Dining Out For Life International’s website. Depending on which restaurant and what orders are placed, a percentage of profit from their meals go to Alliance for Positive Health. Funds do not leave the organization and help them provide support and case management for individuals affected by HIV and AIDS. Some restaurants will donate 100% of their profits, such as Akanomi Japanese Restaurant in Altamont and Outdated Café in Kingston. Tarah Gay, owner of Outdated Café, said that they will be offering a special drink only on that day called the “Drink Your Positive Health” smoothie.
Those who eat out at participating restaurants can be entered in a raffle for two round-trip Southwest Airline tickets. Those who do not go out to eat are encouraged to make donations online; donations of over $25 will receive one free car wash from Hoffman Car Wash. Those who dine out can also take advantage of a special deal from Lyft for 20% off two rides with promo code DINEOUT19 valid for that day only.
Alliance for Positive Health is an organization in Albany that supports those impacted by HIV and AIDS or other chronic illnesses. For over 35 years the center has supported clients and their families who face barriers to receiving medical and social services to improve their conditions.
Their services include the Health insurance Access Program, testing for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and hepatitis C, a syringe exchange program, and nutrition education.
“It’s been a great partnership, and we look forward to doing it for years to come,” said Patrick Newman, owner of El Loco Mexican Café in Albany. The café has been participating in Dining Out For Life with Alliance for Positive Health since the first one in 2003. Newman said that El Loco Mexican Café raises somewhere between $800 and $1,000 per year, sometimes as much as $1,500. Alliance for Positive Health’s mission matters personally to the employees of El Loco Mexican Café, and Newman feels it is important they give back to their community.
Dining Out for Life is not unique to Albany, in fact the event originates from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1991. Richard Nacy Warner, the operations consultant for Dining Out For Life International, said over $4.2 million is raised each year in over 3,000 restaurants in North America. Dining Out For Life International is a not-for-profit organization that helps train not-for-profit organizations that provide services to people affected by HIV and AIDS and provides them with a license to produce the event themselves. All funds raised by the organizations stay with those organizations.
“The need for Dining Out For Life events is as vital today as it was in 1991; while the tremendous advances in HIV testing, treatment, and prevention have made a huge impact in death rates, there is a sense of complacency and… misunderstanding, judgment, and prejudice that makes the need for a national conversation about HIV more relevant than ever,” said Warner.
“It’s an easy way to come and support those impacted by HIV and AIDS,” said Melina Ramirez, the special events coordinator for Alliance for Positive Health.
