Eating Out Today Helps A Local Charity Raise Money to Ease Hunger

Triangle residents will once again have the opportunity to help feed the hungry of their communities today when they patronize any participating restaurant in the RSVVP (Restaurants Sharing V/5 + V/5 Percent) Day's 14th annual fund-raiser.

Listings of all participating restaurants can be found in the local newspapers, viewed on http://www.ifcweb.org for information and updates, or identified by the colorful RSVVP posters prominently displayed in their windows or entranceways. The members of our communities can "help out" by "eating out" in a number of ways. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Eat out for a meal of your choice on RSVVP Day -- breakfast, lunch, dinner or takeout meals -- at any restaurant displaying the colorful RSVVP posters.

2. On RSVVP Day, eat at the restaurants of your choice and order extra takeout to freeze for quick meals during that busy, fast-approaching holiday season.

3. Schedule business, organizational or social meetings around meals on RSVVP Day. Ask your colleagues to take advantage of suggestions 1 &2.

4. Surprise an elderly person or a shut-in on RSVVP Day with a visit and a meal plus some "extras" for future meals.

5. Be a V/5 percenter! Get five (V/5) colleagues, friends, neighbors or relatives to join you in dining out on RSVVP Day. Then get those (V/5) to get five of their colleagues, friends, neighbors or relatives to dine out on RSVVP Day and keep the groups of (V/5) going all day long.

If our communities' residents Share V/5 + V/5 Patronage and Restaurants Share V/5 + V/5 Percent on RSVVP Day, Nov. 12 can be a win-win for everyone!

The proceeds from this popular annual fund-raiser benefit our Chapel Hill/Carrboro's Inter-Faith Council for Social Service which operates a shelter, community kitchen and a recently expanded emergency food pantry, Durham's Community Kitchen and The Food Bank of N.C.

The generosity of our RSVVP sponsors allows all funds raised by participating restaurants that pledge 10 percent of their gross receipts on RSVVP Day to go directly to the hunger-fighting agencies in their communities. The Triangle area RSVVP Program began first in Chapel Hill/Carrboro to benefit the Inter-Faith Council's on-going hunger relief services.

This year, Chapel Hill/Carrboro's RSVVP Program initiated another first by listing all participating restaurants with links to their Web pages, when available, on its Web site, http://www.ifcweb.org.

This gives area residents another option for choosing where to dine on RSVVP Day. Today you will be able to join those who give help and hope. Please take the opportunity.

Betty C. Longiotti
Chairwoman
Chapel Hill/Carrboro RSVVP

The length rule was waived.