Donate with Bowl Full of Gumbo

Donating doesn't have to be a drag! Why not get a good feeling in your heart and stomach as you donate in style? The victims of Hurricane Katrina get a part of your check, and in return for your donation, you won't feel bad for paying a little extra for a night out. A number of different donation dinners have been springing up all over New England.

Tonight there will be an entire Cape Cod contingent of cookeries hosting benefit dinners sponsored by the Catania Hospitality Group donating 10% of all checks to the Red Cross Katrina Relief Fund. All Hearth and Kettle locations, the Grand Cru Wine Bar and Grill, and the Dan'l Webster Inn will all be participating in the event tonight down on the Cape.

But if you want to stay in Boston tonight (considering it's a far trip on a Tuesday), why not try the lunch at the Blue Room on September 15th and 16th. One of the chefs, Sean Danehy, started working in New Orleans and decided to offer this special lunch with a unique Cajun themed meal. Bostonist will be expecting some mighty spicy gumbo to lure people, with a $10 minimum donation going to the American Red Cross's relief. This Cambridge location will be open from 12:00p.m.-2:00p.m. Anyone interested should call them at 617-494-9034.

If you gumbo isn't your thing, you can still donate through eating and mark down September 25th on your calendar. Chef Kevin Crawley is hosting a Boston B.B.Q. Hurricane Relief in Sharon's Post Office Square from 12:00p.m.-4:00p.m., with the $50 donation going to the American Red Cross. Chefs from Oleana, Legal Sea Foods, Blue Ribbon B.B.Q., Radius, Great Bay, and many other Boston restaurants will be in attendance. In addition to the B.B.Q., there will be live entertainment provided by blues singers James Montgomery and Johnny A. If you want to go, or just want to make a donation, contact Jill or Kevin Crawley at 781-784-5450. Bostonist can't think of a better way to end the summer than a big'ole B.B.Q. that goes to helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Contributed by Matthew Nelson; Image courtesy of Wikipedia