March 4: Dine for Darfur

Dine for Darfur: March 4, 2008

One Day, One Cause, One Goal

(Seattle WA and Portland OR) – On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, the restaurants, coffee shops and bars of the Pacific Northwest will offer customers a chance to eat and drink for a better world. Patronize a ‘Dine for Darfur’ establishment on March 4^th and 25 percent of your tab will be donated to support relief efforts in Darfur.

Two states are better than one: After last year’s successful event raised $70,000 in Seattle, organizers at Chow Foods Restaurants decided it was time to issue a challenge to their neighbors to the south. Mt. Hood Beverage Company in Portland, Oregon picked up on it, and Dine for Darfur was set for March 4^th, 2008 in Washington and Oregon.

How do I pick just one place? From Northwest classic Palace Kitchen to popular doughnut chain Top Pot, to Dine for Darfur founders, Chow Foods, we know it is hard to pick where to eat, so Dine for Darfur encompasses the entire day, from your first coffee through that final pint at the end of the night. Don’t hesitate to buy that second latte or that third pint on March 4^th, because just $12 more dollars earned by Dine for Darfur will keep another displaced person supplied with clean water for the year.

Keeping it all in the neighborhood: Dine for Darfur is the result of generous donations by the Northwest’s neighborhood restaurants, cafés and bars. In keeping with their neighborhood ties, money raised through Dine for Darfur will go to a local organization, Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps works to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.  Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided more than $1 billion in assistance to people in 94 nations. Headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, the agency’s global programs employ 3,400 staff and reach nearly 14.4 million people in more than 35 countries, including the Darfur region of Sudan.

Dine for Darfur will occur all day on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. Each participating establishment will donate 25 percent of its sales on that day. For more information and an up-to-date list of participants, visit www.dinefordarfur.org.