LAKE COUNTY—The traditional event “Dine Out for Hospice,” promoted by the Hospice Services of Lake County, is not relying on sales from restaurants this year. Instead, according to organizers, donations are being exclusively provided by customers at each restaurant as part of the traditional campaign, which has been happening for five years now. The institution recognized that, although the establishments wanted to participate, asking for a percentage would represent a hardship due to the pandemic impact on businesses.
“They are allowing us to keep the donation jars in restaurants. That will make a difference”, said Director of Development for Hospice Services of Lake County, Janine Smith-Citron. “Selecting restaurant owners is hard, since we want to promote them all. For us, it’s also important to recognize businesses around the County. We are excited to have Running Creek Casino joining us for the first time. In Clearlake, Main Street Bar and Grill has been loyal since the beginning, even with serious impacts on their business from COVID and fires.”
Smith-Citron said that five years ago, she attended a similar event in Sonoma County for a different cause and found the concept was popular in many communities: “It’s an effective strategy for restaurants to support hospices in their venue while conducting business. It is essential that the community is involved. In previous years, before COVID, restaurants contributed with a percentage of their sales. This year, instead, we ask customers to donate an amount of their choice. We have donation jars located at each restaurant and we are relying on customer donations to raise money for Hospice Service.”
Hospice Services of Lake County’s Community Relations Manager Beth Havrilla, agreed: “in recognition of the tremendous past support of local restaurants, we are encouraging our community to patronize our local restaurants either by dining in, dining outside or taking out meals.”
Proceeds will support the Wings of Hope Bereavement program and the special needs of the Hospice patients. “We are an independent non-profit organization with multiple services, including community based grief counseling for families who have experienced the death of a loved one. Our grief counseling services have expanded over the years to meet community needs. Our County has a high percentage of deaths due to suicides, accidents, drug overdoses, chronic illnesses and more. Grief counseling provides children and adults with healthy tools to navigate their grief. Our bereavement services rely on fundraising and thrift store revenues. We also provide hospice care for individuals who are under or not insured,” said Smith-Citron.
“In past years, restaurants have been incredibly supportive of this fundraiser and, in fact, Renee’s Café and Park Place have donated up to 50% of their sales and included a large tip. This year, we want to see restaurants full. We look forward to bringing friends and families together in support of a worthwhile cause while they enjoy a meal at one of our many great Lake County restaurant venues,” added Havrilla.
“Many of our local restaurants are passionate about supporting Hospice Services of Lake County. They have friends or family that have received hospice care or bereavement services, and this is a way that they can give back. Before the pandemic, many were more comfortable committing a portion of their sales, but the pandemic has had a chilling effect on the ability of restaurants to operate profitably or even stay open. When we considered the 2021 event, we wanted to continue supporting local restaurants recognizing it would be a hardship to ask for a monetary donation, so, we changed the format,” concluded the director of development. “Another important aspect of the event is to create awareness of hospice services in a comfortable environment. We refer to it as a friend and fundraising event”.
Participating restaurants include Arti’s Café, Cowpoke Café, DJ’s Pizza, Danny’s Roadside Barbecue, Gaslight Grill, Greenview Room, Jimmy’s Deli, Judy’s Junction, Juicy’s Pizza, Main St. Bar and Grill, Marcel’s French Bakery, Lyndell’s Sport Stop Grill, O’meara Bro’s Brewing, Park Place, Perry’s Deli, Red’s Skyroom, Renee’s Café, Riviera Hills, Saw Shop Public House, Stonefire Pizza and Woody’s. Donations can be also made through the website www.lakecountyhospice.org.
