Monday, February 1, 2010
Dining Events for Haiti This Tuesday, and Beyond
Posted by Ian McNulty @IanMcNultyNOLA on Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 9:03 PM
Restaurant-based fundraisers and benefit dinners were one way people across the country found to give money to Katrina-relief causes after the levee failures here. Similar efforts are taking shape now in New Orleans to direct aid to earthquake survivors in Haiti, and two are on tab for Tuesday.
- One citywide event, Called New Orleans Night Out for Haiti, is structured similarly to the annual Dine Out for Life benefit organized by the NO/AIDS Task Force. In this case, each participating restaurant will donate 10 percent of its sales from Tuesday, Feb. 2, to the charity of its choice working on earthquake relief. The public is encouraged to support the campaigning simply by dining at a participating restaurant on Tuesday.
- Some participating restaurants thus far include Dick & Jenny's, J'Anita's at the Avenue Pub, Theo's Neighborhood Pizza, Kyoto, Nonna Mia Café & Pizzeria, the Delachaise,
Creole Creamery, La Thai Uptown, Martinique Bistro and the Columns Hotel.
- More details are posted on this Facebook page for the event.
- Bywater Benefit
That same night, the Bywater restaurant Satsuma Café (3218 Dauphine St., 304-5962) hosts a locally-sourced, four-course dinner with wine pairings. The cost is $50 per person and all proceeds will benefit Association Haitienne de Development Humain, a medical nonprofit helping earthquake survivors. Here's Satsuma's menu:
Amuse BouchePoached Louisiana Shrimp Salad
Oyster Soup
Black Drum with Wilted Greens
Lemon Pudding Cakes
Food for the dinner was donated by local farmers and fishermen. Dinner begins at 7:30 p.m. and seating is limited to 30 people. To reserve call 304-5962.
- National Networks
A national restaurant industry response is also taking shape, using a template first devised for Katrina relief. The Louisiana Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association and the hunger-relief organization Share Our Strength are supporting Restaurants for Relief—Haiti.
The program is based on the original Restaurants for Relief, created after Katrina to support recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region. The program raised $1 million.
- Share Our Strength has pledged to grant all funds raised through Restaurants for Relief-Haiti to organizations responding to the island's crisis. Specific fundraisers have yet to be announced, but here's how the LRA outlines opportunities for restaurants to get involved:
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Donating a portion of sales from a week, a day or a specific menu item.
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Collect donations from patrons, or direct them to make online donations at www.strength.org/haiti.
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Encourage employees to make individual donations and match them.
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Visit this Web site for more ideas.
