Restaurants around the USA are getting creative on behalf of their favorite charities.

“Our ‘Chef for the Day’ program has donated $20,000+ to the San Francisco Food Bank in five years. For $150, someone can ‘work’ in the kitchen in the morning, join a friend for a complimentary lunch, plus take home a cookbook. Many buy the ‘day’ as gifts.” –Robert Helstrom, chef, Kuleto’s, San Francisco, CA

Table 6, Denver, CO, raffles off large format bottles ($5/ticket) for local and international charities selected by the owner and staff. “It’s a way for us to generate some positive interest in world events and to contribute to these causes,” says Aaron Forman, owner. “Recently we raised $1,000 for Darfur Refugees.” Distributors donate bottles that are prominently displayed, and raffle tickets are printed with info about the charity. . . . This year at Sapa, New York, NY, celebrities became servers to raise funds for A.L.S. “We wanted to do something that wasn’t stuffy or boring,” explains Lisa Goldberg, publicist, “so, we asked celebrity friends and cold called some agents. Twenty celebrities worked hour and a half shifts alongside Sapa waiters, and $36,500 was raised. Tickets for the six-course dinner with open bar cost $300/person. . . .Smoky Hearth Pizza, Sandy, OR, a limited service restaurant, has a no tipping policy, but customers continue to tip, so co-owner Jeannine Hokanson and staff decided to give the tips to townspeople who need help. She puts a “tip jar” at the cash register with a note describing the recipients. “People want to help others, but think their dollar won’t do much,” she says. “However, when it’s added to others, it can really make a difference”. . . .“We donate 100% of the proceeds from our four annual wine dinners to local charities, usually involving children,” says Pam Capitanini, marketing/pr manager, Italian Village Restaurants, Chicago, IL. “Staff and managers donate their time, distributors provide wine, and we close for the night.” Written invitations and email blasts are sent to the restaurant’s customer lists. Pam says the dinners always sell out and some guests write checks above the ticket price ($150-200). The dinners raise an average of $20,000 each