What is Dining for Darfur?

Dining for Darfur is the vision and creation of Andrea Strong, a food writer who wanted to make a difference to the people of Darfur—to try and help raise awareness about the genocide, and to raise funds to help alleviate the suffering of the innocent victims of the government sponsored militias, the Janjaweed. Her vision was to create a series of food and wine industry-related benefits to raise funds for humanitarian relief work in the war-ravaged state of Darfur. Since its inception in 2006, Andrea has raised almost $75,000 for the people of Darfur. Click here to stay in the loop.

The first Dining for Darfur event was a charity dine-out held on Sunday April 30th, 2006. Participating restaurants in New York City (and beyond) agreed to donate 5% of their gross sales to the International Rescue Committee’s humanitarian relief efforts in Darfur and in the refugee camps in Chad. The dine-out raised was a huge success, raising over $29,619 for the IRC's life-saving humanitarian work in Darfur.

The Situation in Darfur What is happening in Africa today as the world stands by? Not since the Rwanda genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of slaughter, rape, starvation and displacement. Government- backed militias, known collectively as the Janjaweed, are systematically eliminating entire communities of African tribal farmers. Villages are being razed, women and girls are being gang- raped and branded, men and boys are being slaughtered, and food and water supplies targeted and destroyed. It is estimated that 400,000 people have already been killed in this genocide and that 2.5 million people have been displaced. The murders continue daily and have now spread to neighboring Chad. Make a difference today.

The second event, the Dining for Darfur Wine Tasting Gala, held on Wednesday August 23rd, 2006 was generously sponsored by T Edward Wines, a boutique importer of artisan wines. The event raised another $30,000 for the people of Darfur. Read more about this exciting event.

We also held a Dining for Darfur Wine Out for the entire month of in which participating restaurants donated profits from specific Wine Out bottles of wine to Dining for Darfur. This program raised $4000.

Dining for Darfur 2007 was held on Sunday April 29th, to coincide with the release of Don Cheadle and John Prendergast's new book "Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond (Hyperion). This year, the charity dine out event took place in restaurants in New York City and across the country. The event raised $15,000 for the IRC's humanitarian relief in Darfur and Chad.

The second annual Dining for Darfur Wine Tasting Gala, generously sponsored by T Edward Wines, a boutique importer of artisan wines, was held on Tuesday August 21st, 2007 at the Puck Building. Over 400 wines were poured along with a menu of signature dishes from Blue Ribbon, Cookshop, and Hill Country. The event raised $12,000 for the people of Darfur.

About the IRC

Founded in 1933, the IRC is currently aiding hundreds of thousands of people uprooted by the brutal ethnic and political conflict in Darfur, Sudan. The International Rescue Committee is helping at least 750,000 uprooted people in desperate conditions across the vast, remote region of Darfur. IRC’s critical aid includes everything from providing lifesaving water and sanitation to counseling and protection for women terrorized by sexual violence. One of the largest health care providers in Darfur, IRC operates hospitals and clinics, focuses on reproductive health, trains community medical workers and runs health education campaigns to prevent disease. IRC has worked in Sudan since 1982 and in Darfur since 2004, shortly after the war broke out. Loudly speaking out for action on behalf of the Sudanese people, the IRC pairs global advocacy with its direct relief work on the ground.

How You Can Help

Buy a Gala Wine Tasting ticket! Click to learn more!

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said in a letter from an Alabama jail cell: “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” Let us stop the silence and make a difference.

There are also lots of other ways to help the people of Darfur >