Good food for a good cause. That’s what had hundreds of North Bay residents reserving tables at four restaurants around the city April 25th for A Taste for Life. Average Joe’s, Farina Ristorante, Grannitti’s Ristorante and the Pinewood Park Restaurant hosted the fifth annual fundraiser for the AIDS Committee of North Bay & Area.
All four were filled with hungry patrons by 7:00 pm. A Taste for Life is now a Canada-wide event with its roots in the US. A similar fundraiser under the name Dining Out for Life was started in Philadelphia in 1990. In 1999 Bruce House and The Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation debuted A Taste for Life in Ottawa and it caught on from there.
ACNBA’s A Taste for Life organizer, Kathleen Jodouin says she’s very happy with the turnout and is looking forward to seeing how much the event generated. Restaurants donate 25% of the evening’s receipts to ACNBA which puts the funding towards its client services and outreach programs. Jodouin says judging by the returns that have come in so far, this year looks promising.
“Personal donations were up this year, which points to the ongoing generosity and support this community continues to provide our agency. We’re very grateful and thank all our restaurants and donors for their help.”
Final figures won’t be available for a while yet. However, Jodouin says historically A Taste for Life brings in about $5,000 – $6,000 for ACNBA.
