Hunger Awareness Day

St. Vincent de Paul, restaurants team up to fight hunger
Proceeds from June 5 ‘Dine Out’ campaign to benefit needy

By Bethany Noble, The Catholic Sun
May 17, 2007

Helping combat hunger in the community is as easy as eating out at a local restaurant.

And on June 5, national Hunger Awareness Day, visiting two local restaurants — Sauce Pizza and Wine or Chompie’s Restaurant — will help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in its ongoing mission to feed the hungry.

Both restaurants are pledging a portion of the day’s sales to St. Vincent de Paul in support of the organization’s third annual “Dine Out to Help Out” campaign.

“We don’t always realize that there are people around us that don’t have enough to eat,” said Susan de Queljoe of St. Vincent de Paul. “On this day, we try to bring that kind of awareness to the community.”

Sauce Pizza and Wine’s four locations will donate 20 percent of its lunch and dinner sales to St. Vincent de Paul and Chompie’s pledges 15 percent of the day’s receipts from its three locations.

“We are frequent supporters of non-profit organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul that work hard to feed those less fortunate,” said Debbie Porter, spokesperson for the restaurant.

“We believe it is very important to give back generously to the communities that support our restaurants.”

Sauce Pizza and Wine offers a selection of pizzas, salads and grilled paninis. Beer and wine is also available.

Chompie’s, a New York style deli-restaurant and bakery, has a host of sandwiches, salads and other entrees with an East Coast flavor.

“The estimated numbers of those needing assistance is staggering,” said Wendy Borenstien-Tucker, executive vice president of Chompie’s. “But trying to determine where a family will donate their hard earned money is not an easy task.

“Being part of this event makes it easier because this one day allows you to sit back and enjoy some really great food while doing the right thing.”

Surprising stats

In its sixth year, Hunger Awareness Day serves as a platform for domestic hunger relief organizations to raise awareness about hunger in America.

This year, the national theme of the day is “The Face of Hunger Will Surprise You.”

In 2005, an estimated 479,000 people sought food at all Arizona food shelters, kitchens and pantries.

“Families are not making sustainable wages,” said de Queljoe. “So many families are living on the edge of homelessness and are having a hard time making ends meet.”

St. Vincent de Paul is expecting “Dine Out to Help Out” to be a success.

“We are delighted that Chompie’s and Sauce Pizza and Wine have partnered with us,” said de Queljoe. “We talked to a lot of restaurants this year, but these two restaurants really understood what we were trying to do and were willing to support St. Vincent de Paul.”

St. Vincent de Paul prepares meals for more than 3,500 people a day at its various shelters.