Restaurants give to Red Cross

Lending a helping hand while having a good time will be easy to do for those participating in the Red Cross "Dine Out For Disaster" today.

The "Dine Out For Disaster" program does not require much effort -- people wishing to contribute just need to go to one of the participating restaurants in State College or a nearby community. Ten percent of their bill will automatically go to the Red Cross to help fund local disaster relief.

Local disasters primarily include fires in apartments or dorms, and relief is usually provided in the form of food, clothing and shelter.

"Beyond that we work with individuals' needs and see how they can best be met," said Virginia Brown, executive director of Centre Community's Chapter of Red Cross.

Last year the Red Cross had one participant, The Gingerbread Man, 130 Heister St. They collected $423, Brown said.

"We thought that was pretty good for a first effort," she said.

Brown is uncertain of the success for this year, but is expecting it to top last year because of the number of restaurants participating.

One of the participants, the Autoport Restaurant, 1405 S. Atherton St., is taking part in order to give back to the community, said Jim Meyer, an Autoport employee.

"(It's) one way of helping out without just giving a donation," he said.

Brown added the Red Cross uses additional fund-raisers if the money raised during "Dine Out For Disaster" does not provide enough for the victims, Brown said. The Red Cross participates in many different activities to help the community throughout the year, she said, and "Dine Out For Disaster" is just one example of how they give back to help those in need.