WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Assn. announced that it is again sponsoring Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out—a week-long national restaurant event to raise funds to help end childhood hunger in America—and encourages its members to participate in the event. During the week of September 20 to 26, 2009, thousands of restaurants and millions of consumers will join together to help feed children in need. Each year, more than 12 million children in America (one of every six) worry about when their next meal will come. Share Our Strength is one of the leading organizations working to end childhood hunger in the United States.
“We encourage our members to join the Great American Dine Out this September,” said Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the Association. “With the program’s flexibility of participation, there are options available to fit restaurants of all types and sizes. Our research shows that more than half of consumers say they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on how much a restaurant supports charitable activities, so this is a great opportunity to both do the right thing and drive customer traffic.”
“We are asking millions of consumers and thousands of restaurants to help us fight childhood hunger,” said Bill Shore, founder of Share Our Strength. “We were heartened by the generosity and commitment of the restaurant industry and diners last year. Our hope is to continue this program every year until every child in America has access to nutritious food where they live, learn and play.”
The first Great American Dine Out event, held in September 2008, raised more than half a million dollars from more than 4,000 participating restaurants, from family-owned establishments to national chains. Donations of restaurant sales for the week, direct donations from dining patrons and restaurant suppliers, plus money raised through promotions, helped to make the program a success.
Restaurants can participate in a number of ways, tailoring the program to their business and customer needs. Establishments can participate for the full week or for a single day, by a percentage of total sales or a specific menu item, as well as several other options.
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