Whether your cause is landmine removal in Afghanistan, or supporting people living with HIV/AIDS, there are lots of opportunities in the next week or so to dine well and do good, all at the same time.

 
Tony Kaczor, the fish fry guy [1], passed along his latest church supper dining tips, including a couple of upcoming Lebanese dinners. This Sunday, April 20th from noon to 6 p.m., Saint Maron Catholic Church [2], 602 University Ave., Minneapolis is hosting a Taste of Lebanon dinner, with a menu that includes raw and baked kibbee, cabbage rolls, beeef and green bean stew, salad and baklava for dessert, all for $15 for adults and $8 for kids. Reservations are a must; call 612-379-2758. And a week from Sunday, Holy Family Maronite Church [3], 203 E. Robie, St. Paul will host its Lebanese dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

On Monday, April 21, Da Afghan [4] restaurant in Bloomington is hosting a benefit dinner to support landmine removal in Afghanistan. Half the $30 ticket price is tax-deductable, and they are going to put our quite a spread: stuffed grape leaves, chicken pilaw, kofta kabobs, tandoori chicken and lots more. For reservations, call the restaurant at 952-888-5824, or visit the restaurant's website at www.daafghan.com [5]. You can also sendcontributions directly to: the Adopt-A-Minefield program, the United Nations Association, Minnesota Division, 2104 Stevens Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2533,

Jen Kinney, who lives in Minneapolis, is a single mother of a 5-year-old daughter, who caught a tough break - a rare brain disease called moyamoya [6], and then a stroke. Her friends are throwing fundraiser for her on Sunday, April 27^th from 4:00-9:00 p.m. at the Shout House [7] in downtown Minneapolis. Tickets are $10 at the door, and include a buffet and raffle ticket. There will be drink specials throughout the evening, plus a silent auction and Shout House's famous dueling pianos.

I’m aiming to eat all three meals out next Thursday, when 134 local restaurants will be participating in Dining Out for Life [8]. Proceeds support the Aliveness Project [9], a local non-profit that provides delivered meals, a food shelf, and other support for people with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Lots of my favorite places are on the list, but I’ll probably stick to some of the Platinum level (35 percent or more) participants. For breakfast, I might start with one of Bess Giannakakis’ terrific flapper pancakes filled with fruit and cream at at the Colossal Café [10]; or else a chocolate croissant from Rustica [11]. For lunch, the two leading contenders are the beef brisket sandwich at Blackbird [12] and the corned beef at Pastrami Jack's [13] in Eden Prairie, but for dinner, it’s the Vietnamese fusion cuisine at Ngon Vietnamese Bistro [14] in Saint Paul.