Whether you’re a frequent flyer at Asheville restaurants or only go out to eat for special occasions, Western North Carolina AIDS Project invites you to be among those Dining Out for Life on Thursday, April 24. The organization’s largest annual fundraiser will mark its 23rd year with nearly 50 restaurants on the team.
“The first year, we had 10 restaurants and raised about $25,000,” says Bellamy Crawford, WNCAP’s development director. “Last year we raised over $85,000, and our goal for 2025 is to reach $100,000.”
A small group of volunteers founded WNCAP in 1986, during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, to provide food, comfort and care for people with AIDS-related illnesses. In the ’90s, the nonprofit added more services dedicated to prevention education, harm reduction, pharmacy resources and case management.
As WNCAP grew — it now serves 18 WNC counties — so did the need for funding. WNCAP took the Dining Out for Life (DOFL) model already in existence in other cities out for a spin, launching DOFL Asheville in 2002. The concept requires nothing from diners other than eating out at one of the participating restaurants, which commit to donating 20% of net proceeds to the designated local AIDS organization.
In 2003, Asheville restaurateur Eric Scheffer, who had just co-founded the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR) that year, was approached by Harry Brown, member of the international board of DOFL and early proponent of the nascent Asheville DOFL. A successful partnership developed from there.
In the effort’s peak year of 2018, Crawford says, over 100 restaurants participated to raise $175,000. “We were No. 5 in the U.S. and Canada and brought in more money than San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas and Miami.”
Then came COVID-19 in 2020, which shut down the hospitality industry just weeks before that year’s DOFL. Like everyone else, WNCAP pivoted, offering the alternative Dine In for Life, encouraging supporters to order takeout, purchase gift cards from participating restaurants and make online donations.
In the four years since, DOFL had gotten back on track before Helene dealt another devastating blow to Asheville’s hospitality industry.
This year, WNCAP is not asking the 50 DOFL restaurants to commit to donations in advance. Instead, they can see how the day/night goes and do what feels comfortable. As always, DOFL volunteer ambassadors will be assigned to each restaurant to greet diners, share information about WNCAP and invite people to make donations online or through the QR code printed on handouts.
Everyone who donates any amount — whether $5 or $5,000 — from April 24-May 1, will be entered in a drawing for one of three prizes: two nights at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville, two 2025 AIR Passports or a 90-minute float at Still Point Wellness Spa.
Crawford says given the current uncertainty around government funding, it is particularly crucial to maintain awareness of the services WNCAP provides. “We have made great strides, but HIV still exists, and the need remains.”
For more information and a list of this year’s DOFL restaurants, visit avl.mx/ep5.
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