Mendoberri Joins 'Dining Out for Life' Thursday Night

is serving up hope Thursday from 4-10 p.m. as part of Dining Out for Life.

Hundreds of participating Minnesota restaurants will donate a portion of their profits on Thursday from either lunch or dinner service to The Aliveness Project, a Twin Cities nonprofit that provides nutritional support, therapy and case management to patients with HIV/AIDS. Mendoberri will donate 20 percent of their profit to the cause.

It is their first year participating. 

"I think it’s a great cause," said Co-Owner Robert Ulrich, "and we wanted to be a part of it."

The restaurant's regular menu will be available. "We just want to be ourselves, the way we are," said Ulrich.

A few reservations are left for dining-in as of Wednesday afternoon, and take-out service will be available all night. Diners can call ahead to place a take-out order. 

Dining Out for Life will be held in metro areas across the country, each supporting a local AIDS outreach service. The goal is to raise $4 million in one day.

“We have made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, however, there is much to be done," said Dining Out for Life President Stacie Walls-Beegle in the Dining Out for Life blog. "Support for people living with HIV and the prevention of new infections is necessary to move forward.” 

The Center for Disease Control estimates 1.2 million Americans are infected with HIV, and one-fifth of those infected don't know it.