The generous can eat for two
Alicia Robinson
A handful of local restaurants are hoping their patrons will think
about the less fortunate when they make their menu choices.
Several local restaurants are taking part in the donate-a-dish
program, in which participating eateries pick an entree and give 10%
of the proceeds from the sale of that dish to the Orange Coast
Interfaith Shelter.
The program was created by the shelter’s fundraising group, the
Friends of Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter, and is sponsored by the
Newport Beach Restaurant Assn.
The idea came from a similar program in San Diego, said Judy
Cooper, board president of Friends of Orange Coast Interfaith
Shelter.
Participating restaurants get one free ad a month in OC Metro
magazine in exchange for donating money from sales of their selected
dishes, and they in return agree to give at least $100 a month to the
shelter, even if their donate-a-dish sales don’t generate that much.
The free publicity is a perk for restaurants, Cooper said, but
that’s not why they’ve joined the program.
“I’ve been here for about two and a half years, and I think it’s
about time for me to give back to the community,” Bamboo Bistro owner
Chau Dang said.
She chose one the most popular dishes at her Corona del Mar
restaurant, the house special rice noodle dish, and she said she’s
gotten a good response.
“Customers are very supportive,” she said. “I think it’s a good
thing.”
Tony Hibbard, general manager of Newport Beach’s Marco Polo
Italian Eatery, has tried using seafood, pasta and steak dishes for
the program, but he said not many of his customers have been biting.
“Every little bit counts [however],” he said. “We live in a very
affluent area. It’s a good chance for people to give back to homeless
people.”
Programs such as this are crucial, said Michael Arnot, executive
director of the shelter.
“We rely very heavily on private donations,” he said. “It’s one of
our largest funding sources.”
With the money generated by fundraisers such as the donate-a-dish
program, the shelter helps homeless families in Orange County become
self-sufficient, offering emergency shelter, counseling, job training
and other services. The shelter is the oldest and largest shelter for
homeless families in Orange County, Cooper said.
The donate-a-dish program was launched in August and will continue
“for as long as we can get people to participate,” Cooper said. Eight
restaurants are now involved, and others have promised to join in
2004, Cooper said.
The participating restaurants are the Bamboo Bistro and the
Bungalow in Corona del Mar; the Cannery, Marco Polo Italian Eatery,
the Newport Beach Brewing Co., Sapori Italian Ristorante and Sol
Grill in Newport Beach; and the Village Inn on Balboa Island.
For information on the program, call Judy Cooper at (949)
640-8828.
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