SVEN SUNDGAARD, KARE 11 Meteorologist, To Be Celebrity Diner For “DINING OUT FOR LIFE” in Twin Cities!

The Aliveness Project is proud to announce that Sven Sundgaard, KARE 11 meteorologist, has again agreed to be the celebrity spokesperson for their 17th annual “Dining Out For Life” fundraiser. Proceeds of the 17th annual Dining Out for Life event benefit The Aliveness Project, a nonprofit organization that provides hot meals, food shelf service, integrative therapies, holiday baskets, case management and educational services to individuals living with HIV and their families.

The mission of The Aliveness Project is to encourage self-empowerment and provide direct services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Last year, The Aliveness Project served over 1,572 individuals – which is one of four Minnesotans living with HIV/AIDS. “This is a unique opportunity for people to join in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Just choose one of our restaurants and enjoy your meal or meals with a group of friends — all you have to donate is your appetite!” said Aliveness Project’s Executive Director, Joe Larson. “Dining Out for Life has benefited The Aliveness Project for the past sixteen years,” added Larson. “Last year, Dining Out for Life raised over $161,000.00 to support our services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS in our community. This year, we are excited to have even more diners planning to participate during breakfast, lunch or dinner on April 28.”

Established in 1985, The Aliveness Project is a community drop-in center located in south Minneapolis and dedicated to serving people living with HIV/AIDS. The Aliveness Project provides nutritious meals, a food shelf, integrative therapies, holiday baskets, case management and educational resources to individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families. Last year, more than 1,572 individuals living with HIV used our services — which is one out for four Minnesotans living with HIV/AIDS. Hundreds of their family members also benefit from the food shelf, meal program, holiday baskets and other services offered by The Aliveness Project. Approximately 47 percent of the people who use these services are people of color and the majority of them live in poverty and in dire need of these services. Dining Out for Life provides support for much-needed services for those living with HIV/AIDS. The Aliveness Project is proud to announce that Sven Sundgaard, KARE 11 meteorologist, has again agreed to be the celebrity spokesperson for this very special event. Each year, thousands of diners participate by dining at one of over 165 restaurants. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to gather with friends and have a good time, while at the same time doing something good for our local HIV/AIDS community. More than two-thirds of our church membership participated last year and we’re already planning for this year,” stated Pastor Mary Albing of Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer in south Minneapolis.

This year’s participating restaurants include:
128 Café, 318 Café, 8th Street Grill, Acqua, Afton House Inn, al Vento, Amazing Grace Bakery & Café (Duluth), Angelo's Italian Restaurant, Anodyne @ 43rd, Arezzo Ristorante, Aster Café, At Sara's Table/Chester Creek Café (Duluth), B.A.N.K., Bambu, Bar Abilene, Barbette, Beaujo's Wine Bar & Bistro, Birchwood Café, Black Dog Café & Wine Bar, Black Forest Inn, Blackbird Café, Boca Chica Restaurant, Brasa Rotisserie, Brugger’s Bagels, The Bulldog Lowertown, The Bulldog Uptown, Buona Sera, The Butcher Block Bar & Restaurant, C.C. Club, Café Ena, Café Maude, Café Twenty-Eight, Campus Pizza, Carmelo's Ristorante, Chiang Mai Thai, Chin Dian, Chris & Rob’s Chicago Taste Authority (Fridley, Minneapolis, St. Paul), Christos Greek Restaurant (Minnetonka), Christos Union Depot Place, Citizen Café, Colossal Café, Craftsman Restaurant, Cupcake, Cuppa Java Coffee and Deli, Curran's Restaurant, Dover Restaurant & Bar, Dunn Bros Coffee (Roseville), eagleBOLTbar, Ecopolitan, Eden Avenue Grill, El Mesón, El Nuevo Rodeo, El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant, Elsie’s, Erte & The Peacock Lounge, Everest on Grand, FACES Mears Park, Falafel King, Fat Lorenzo's, Finnish Bistro, FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, Fireroast Mountain Café, First Course, Forum, Fujiya Japanese (Minneapolis), Fusion, Galactic Pizza, Gigi’s Café, Ginger Hop Restaurant, The Glockenspiel, Grand Café, Great Waters Brewing Company, Hazel’s Northeast, Heidi’s Minneapolis, The Herkimer Pub and Brewery, Highland Café & Bakery, Himalayan Restaurant (Fridley and Mpls), Hot Plate, Il Gatto, The Independent, It's Greek to Me, Jackson’s Coffee & Gelato, Jakeeno's Pizza & Pasta, J.D. Hoyt’s, Jitters Coffee & Tea House (Duluth), Joe's Garage Restaurant, Joseph’s Family Restaurant, Kafé 421, Khyber Pass Café, La Chaya Bistro, Lone Spur Grill & Bar, Loring Kitchen & Bar, Lucia’s Restaurant and Wine Bar, Luna Rossa Trattoria & Wine Bar, LUSH Food Bar, Lyon’s Pub, The Malt Shop Restaurant, Manny's Tortas, Maverick's Wood Grill, May Day Café, Maynard's Restaurant (Excelsior), McCoy's Public House, Moose and Sadie's, moto-i Sake Brewery Restaurant, Muffuletta, Napa Valley Grille, New Bistro, Nonna Rosa’s Ristorante Italiano, Pagoda, Pancho Villa's Grill, Papa's Restaurant and Deli, Park Tavern Bowling & Entertainment Center, Piccolo, Pizza Lucé (DINE-IN ONLY: St. Paul, Seward/University, Uptown, Duluth, Hopkins and Downtown Mpls), The Purple Onion Café, Rail Station Bar & Grill, Rainbow Chinese Restaurant & Bar, Red Stag Supperclub, Restaurant Alma, Restaurant Aura, Rinata, Riverview Café & Wine Bar, Roat Osha, Roman Anthony’s Italian Restaurant, Rudolphs Bar-B-Que, Rustica Bakery, The Saloon, The Sample Room, Sanctuary, Santorini, Sapor Café/Bar, Sawatdee & Zushiya of Maple Grove, Sawatdee St. Paul, Sawatdee Thai Restaurant (Washington Ave), Sen Yai Sen Lek, Senor Wong, Sir Benedicts Tavern on the Lake (Duluth), Sontes (Rochester), Spill The Wine, Spoonriver, St. Clair Broiler, Stanley’s Northeast Bar Room, Stella's Fish Café, Supatra's Thai Cuisine, Tanpopo Noodle Shop, Thanh Do Restaurant, Thom Pham’s Wondrous Azian Kitchen, Toast Wine Bar & Café, Tooties on Lowry, Trattoria da Vinci, Tum Rup Thai, Va Bene Berarducci's Caffe (Duluth), Victor's 1959 Café, Vina Restaurant, W.A. Frost, Wilde Roast Café, & Yum! (Take Out Only).


All proceeds raised from Dining Out for Life support local services. Individual donations also may be sent to: The Aliveness Project, 730 East 38th Street, Minneapolis MN, 55407, or be processed online at www.aliveness.org.