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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Thursday there is a way to get some good food and help a good cause in Indiana in the process. The Damien Center is Indiana’s largest AIDs service organization and is having its annual “Dining out for life” fundraiser.

The center is partnering with dozens of restaurants across Indianapolis and the motto of the day is dine out, support local and end HIV.

All people need to do in order to help is either eat at one of the participating restaurants or get take out and part of the proceeds help the Damien Center.

The Damien Center provides services for around 25% of people affected by HIV in Indiana. They support about 4,000 Hoosiers annually who have HIV or who are at high risk of HIV with medical care, food and housing.

(Provided Photo/DiningOutforLife.com)

On Thursday part of the restaurant’s proceeds will go to these vital services and help end HIV in Indiana. This is the 26th year for the “Dining Out for Life” fundraiser. It is usually in April but was postponed due to COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, things are a little different this year, but just as important.

“There are restaurants all over the city. There’s lunch, dinner, breakfast, so you can do it any time of the day. It really is an easy thing to do. And right now, our restaurants need our support more than ever, so this is like a double good thing you can do. You can support us and you can support these restaurants,” said Alan Witchey, president and CEO of the Damien Center.

The list of participating restaurants is as follows:

For more information on the event, click here.

If you’re planning to eat out this week or order some carryout, you’ll want to mark your calendars to dine out and help support a great cause– all by eating!

Alan Witchey, President & CEO, The Damien Center, shares more about this year’s Dining out for Life!

Virtual Live Location:
Punch Burger, 137 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis

*Punch Burger is donating 25% of its total sales on Sept. 10 to Dining Out for Life! The restaurant serves great burgers, design-yourself grilled cheese, famous sweet potato tots and a terrific beer selection.

Damien Center Background:
Damien Center opened in 1987 and is Indianapolis’ oldest and largest AIDS service organization, leading the effort to prevent the spread of HIV.
Damien Center offers a spectrum of care through a one-stop-shop model that includes prevention services with access to free, confidential testing – and supportive and medical services for those already infected with HIV.
• Our mission is to empower communities and persons affected by HIV/AIDS in the state of Indiana by being a leading resource, provider, and advocate for comprehensive HIV/AIDS care, prevention, education, and related services.
• We have more than 12,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Indiana and providing services for these individuals wouldn’t be possible without support from donors, community partners and fundraisers like Dining Out for Life.
• 95% of new HIV cases were linked to care within 30 days at Damien Center, nearly doubling the average rate for Central Indiana at 48%.
• Damien Center’s medical patients also have a viral suppression rate of 91%, meaning they cannot sexually transmit HIV to another person, compared to the Central Indiana average of 58%.

Dining Out for Life Information:
• Dining Out For Life® is an annual dining fundraising event raising money for community-based organizations serving people living with or impacted by HIV. It’s an easy way for anyone to support the effort to end HIV in Indiana. Funds raised will go to Damien Center, Indiana’s oldest and largest AIDS service organization.
• This year is the 26th Annual Dining Out for Life in Indianapolis
• The event normally takes place in April, but due to COVID it was postponed.
• The fundraising event is ALL DAY – Thursday, Sept. 10 starting with breakfast all the way thru dinner
• There are dozens of participating restaurants this year all around the Indianapolis metro area!
• It’s an easy way for anyone to support the effort to end HIV in Indiana – We all love to dine out, so be sure to check out the list of participating locations at www.damien.org/dofl and be sure dine out at one of these locations on Thursday.
• If you can’t make it out, you can also make a donation on the Damien Center Dining Out for Life website.
• Things look a little different in 2020. Damien Center has worked with their restaurant partners to provide multiple options for diners this year.
• In the fields on the Dining Out for Life website, you can sort by mealtime in the Meals tab (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) or by Dining Option (still located in the Meals tab) for Curbside Pick-Up, Dine-In, Take-Out, or Delivery options. As always, click “Details” to view more information.
• Additionally, you may notice the donation amounts look a little different this year. Damien Center wants to put the focus on their awesome partners. Many of them have supported Damien Center for years, so in these hard times the organization is highlighting them – regardless of donation amount!

Statistics:
• In 2017, a total of 12,635 persons were living with HIV/AIDS in Indiana. Most people living with HIV/AIDS in Indiana are concentrated in the urban areas of the state, however, rural areas can also be affected. The majority live in Central Indiana and the Indianapolis Metropolitan area.
• In 2016, new HIV infections were estimated to be at 39,782 in the United States.
• About 1.1 million people in the United States were living with HIV at the end of 2015, the most recent year this information was available. Of those people, around 15% (1 in 7) do not know they are infected.

Dining Out for Life – Sept. 10, 2020

7 a.m. – Midnight

www.damien.org

https://www.diningoutforlife.com/city/indianapolis/ (You can see a complete list of Dining Out for Life participating locations here)

#DOFL317, #DineOutEndHIV, #DiningOutForLife

Twitter: @DamienCenter

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thedamiencenter/