x
Skip Navigation
Breaking News
More () »
Community

Dining Out for Life celebrates 30 years

Grab a bite at one of the 90 participating restaurants committed to donating a portion of their sales to people living with HIV/AIDS at The Aliveness Project.

More Videos

Next up in 5

Example video title will go here for this video

MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired in April 2021.

Dining Out For Life is back for its 30th year on Thursday, April 25, 2024! 

Over 90 participating restaurants will donate at least 20% of their sales to The Aliveness Project to help people living with HIV in Minnesota. Establishments taking part are all over Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro, Duluth and Mankato.

The Aliveness Project is a Minnesota nonprofit organization and community center accessed by over 3,000 people annually, living with - or at the greatest risk for - HIV/AIDS.

RELATED: The Aliveness Project highlights importance of testing and treating HIV in women

The Aliveness Project's food shelf provides over 200 meals daily and provides clients with up to 60 pounds of groceries a month. A case management team is also available to help with access to health care, phones and housing.

The organization's outreach team also heads Minnesota’s only mobile syringe exchange van, providing harm reduction services, food, and wound care to encampments and people experiencing homelessness.

As the nonprofit grows, its on-site clinic - THRIVE - is scheduled to open a specialized pharmacy, THRIVE RX, this fall.

To get a feel for what the last 30 years have been like, KARE 11 spoke with Randy Hornstine, a longtime member of The Aliveness Project.

How did you get involved with The Aliveness Project?

I was diagnosed with HIV in 1985. 

My partner, Matt, and I came to The Aliveness Project — it was so small then! We met with other people that were HIV positive... It was basically a potluck where other people with HIV and their families would come, share a meal and navigate this diagnosis. 

My partner, Matt, passed away in 1989.

I found my way back to The Aliveness Project in 1996 when I got full-blown AIDS. They told me I was not going to survive. I knew if these were going to be my last days on the planet, I wanted to spend them at The Aliveness Project and be with my people. 

I started volunteering at The Aliveness Project even though I felt so weak. I just needed to get out of the house.

Aliveness has given me purpose. I don’t know the science behind it, but people who come here start living longer and healthier lives.

RELATED: Mobile syringe exchange program launches in Minneapolis

How has The Aliveness Project changed over the years?

We have grown so much. Our food shelf makes such a difference; it gives people a sense of pride. The meal programs have always been the heart. 

The staff has grown. The fact that we're doing housing, outreach, prevention, PR... it’s so diverse, too. The space keeps getting bigger and better.

There is such momentum growing. I see us growing even more. I joke that if they find a cure for HIV that we will be a gay senior center or trans sanctuary. I know that we won’t close our doors to anyone.

How has Dining Out for Life changed over the years?

The restaurant industry is so different. Around the time when Matt passed away, you could never have told a restaurant owner that you had HIV or AIDS. They would fire you. Now, we have over 90 restaurant owners that want to be a part of this!

I am so impressed by the fact that restaurant owners give so much money. It shows how much they care.

KARE 11 and the wonderful drag queens have been such great partners over the years. They have been so great giving us a platform to highlight the progress that has been made. There is still a lot of work to be done. We see new members coming in daily and there is still so much stigma out there.

Almost 30 years ago, they told me it was going to be some of my last days on the planet. Well, I am still here and I am still thriving… and… I am Dining Out for Life on April 25, so you should, too!

RELATED: Dining Out For Life ignites an appetite for giving back

KARE 11 is a proud sponsor of Dining Out For Life Minnesota.

To learn more about how to get involved locally, visit Dining Out for Life MN's webpage.

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS:


WEST


EAST

NORTH

SOUTH

  • O'Brien's Public House 
    • 338 1st Avenue East, Shakopee, MN
    • 25% of proceeds donated
  • Pub 500 
    • 500 South Front Street, Mankato, MN
    • 25% of proceeds donated

Click here for a map of all the participating restaurants. 

Dining Out For Life is an international event benefiting 50 local HIV service organizations partnering with 2,400+ restaurants, 4,100+ volunteers, and 300,000+ diners to raise over $4.5 million for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and Canada.

WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+

Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota. 


Watch more local news:

Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:

Before You Leave, Check This Out