Despite economic uncertainty, an estimated 80,000 diners across the Denver metro area and Boulder supported Project Angel Heart’s 15th annual Dining Out for Life® event by dining at participating restaurants and raising a projected $380,000 for the local non-profit. Over 335 restaurants in the metro Denver area and Boulder donated 25% of the day’s food sales, along with diners making generous, individual contributions to Project Angel Heart. Those donations will fund the agency’s home-delivered meal program, which serves men, women, and children coping with life-threatening illness, free of charge.

“We are grateful for contributions from the restaurant community and individuals who support us through Dining Out for Life®” says Erin Pulling, Executive Director for Project Angel Heart. “It’s especially rewarding to know that the community stands behind our mission, knowing that in this tough economy, those we serve are in dire need of our meals now more than ever.”

Funds raised through Dining Out for Life® will help Project Angel Heart prepare and deliver over 400,000 nutritious meals, at no cost, to 1,700 people in the Metro area and Colorado Springs this year. Like many non-profits, Project Angel Heart has felt the impact of the slumping economy, which caused the agency to make tough choices in mid-2008 including reducing fresh fruit, serving meals five days per week instead of six, and combining staff positions.

“We made cuts to other areas of the budget before considering meals themselves,” says Pulling. “Then, faced with a choice of either decreasing the number of meals per client or serving fewer clients, we made the difficult decision to cut the sixth weekly meal container and to reduce fresh fruit,” she said. “

However, the agency is weathering the economic storm with the support of its corps of dedicated volunteers who contributed more than 42,000 volunteer hours last year, and sustaining donors whose contributions totaled 51% of Project Angel Heart’s 2008 operating budget.

“Because of strong community support, we are able to designate $.92 of every dollar donated directly to our home-delivered meals program” says Pulling. For those who weren’t able to participate in Dining Out for Life® but have the desire to support the agency, please consider making an online contribution on our website.

This year’s Dining Out for Life® event was generously sponsored by: Sunflower Market, Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado and Sprint. In-kind and media sponsorship was provided by: 9News, 5280 Magazine, Out Front Colorado, The Denver Post, The Colorado Pride Guide, Westword, Jazz 89, Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, Yelp, Opentable.com, MetroMix.com, Geeks Who Drink, Café Vivid and 107.1FM.