If you’re thinking about going somewhere to eat Thursday, March 30, why not pick a restaurant that’s participating in Dining Out for Life.
The premise is easy: you eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at a participating restaurant in Whistler, Vancouver, the Lower Mainland or White Rock and that establishment contributes 25 per cent of their food sales to A Loving Spoonful, a non-profit group that supports men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Metro Vancouver and surrounding areas. The organization supplies an average of 100,000 meals a year, offers nutritional counselling and meal planning, provides Easter dinner cooked by local chefs, created the Family Pantry Program, which supplies families with fruits, vegetables and other essentials, and delivers snack packs to clients, which include fresh fruit, yogurt, bread, juice, milk and more.
In 2011, the Public Health Agency of Canada estimated 71,300 people were living with HIV/AIDS in Canada, with more than 25 per cent living in B.C. — Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside maintains the highest HIV prevalence in the western world, reaching as high 27 per cent.
While new infection rates in B.C. have decreased, advanced therapies mean people with HIV/AIDS are living longer and the number of people who depend on the services of A Loving Spoonful continues to grow.
So why not dine out this Thursday and do your part — and don’t forget to take a friend.
For a list of participating restaurants, got to diningoutforlife.com.
@sthomas10
