Dining Out For Life® San Diego is here this week and we are excited to be celebrating 20 years of this community fundraiser! On Thursday, April 23, thousands of people across San Diego County will Dine Out and Give Back as over 60 restaurants, bars, and cafés donate a portion of their sales to support health and wellness services at The Center, including HIV/AIDS services and prevention programs. I invite you to view the full list of participating locations, and make your dining plans today!
As we head into Dining Out For Life® San Diego week, there is much to celebrate. For 20 years, this incredible event has brought our community together in the most joyful way: sharing meals, supporting local restaurants, and showing up for one another. It’s a day filled with connection, pride, and purpose, where every breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night bite helps fund life-saving services and programs at The Center.
This year, I hope you will feel that energy and excitement all around you and become part of this movement. Because, while Dining Out For Life® is a celebration, it’s also a powerful act of community care at a time when it really matters.
Across the country, we are seeing renewed attacks on LGBTQ+ communities and efforts to dismantle funding for HIV prevention and care—the very programs that have been a cornerstone of our LGBTQ+ movement for decades. Here in San Diego, The Center is working every day to hold the line for our community, safeguarding access to sexual health and wellness services, ensuring our community has the support they need, and protecting critical LGBTQ+ programs, including our at-risk Sexual Health & Wellness program that provides HIV care and prevention services.
Dining Out For Life® San Diego is your chance to stand with us and to show up in a way that is both meaningful and joyful. Make a plan with friends, gather your co-workers, bring your family together, and choose your favorite participating locations (or try somewhere new!) to dine out all day long. When you do, you’re directly supporting The Center and our community at a critical moment.
This Thursday, I invite you all to celebrate, to show up, and to fill restaurants across San Diego with purpose, so we can hold the line for our community today, while building a brighter tomorrow for all of us.
I can’t wait to Dine Out and Give Back with all of you!
In community,
Cara Dessert (she/her)
CEO