124 Minnesota restaurants take part in ‘Dining Out for Life,’ donate to HIV services
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Minnesota restaurants will take part in a fundraiser Thursday to raise money for organizations providing HIV/AIDS services to the community.
‘Dining Out For Life’ is an annual, 24-hour fundraiser where over 120 participating restaurants in the state will donate between 25 to 100 percent of their sales to Aliveness Project.
“The more you eat at a restaurant, the more you’re helping people living with HIV,” said Sonya Bieza, development manager for Aliveness Project.
“It's like the easiest fundraiser for the general public because all you have to do is eat out,” she said.
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Proceeds will support clinical services like HIV testing and treatment, as well as its food shelf and programs offering meals, housing and transportation.
Bieza reports the Minneapolis nonprofit served over 7,500 people in 2025.
This year, the fundraiser includes the theme “Love Your Neighbor” to raise awareness around the struggles faced by Minnesota restaurants following Operation Metro Surge, according to Bieza. She said restaurant partners include small and immigrant-owned businesses that lost sales or were targeted by federal immigration enforcement, and whose employees were afraid to show up for work.
A list of participating restaurants is on the organization’s website.
Bieza said during the surge, Aliveness Project also saw a decline in new clients and an increase in missed appointments as people were afraid to leave their homes, regardless of their immigration status. The nonprofit expanded its medication delivery services from two to six days a week as a result.
She said Dining Out For Life is the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser and supports year-round programming.
“It really adds up to help a lot of people,” Bieza said.
