Dine & Donate & Enjoy

As mentioned , there are two excellent chances to do some good while eating some good food. You can hit up Monday through Friday, Nov. 14 through Nov. 18, and 20% of your bill will be donated to San Jose Middle School. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, head on over to , enjoy some fine Italian food, and support Loma Verde Elementary School in the process. You’ll need a flyer for Fernando’s, which I’ve posted here for your convenience. But you only need to mention “Loma Verde” at Aurora’s, and the money is the school’s.

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Today is the last day to sign up for a Plum District deal at the newly opened Urban Escape Fitness over on San Marin Drive. You get one month of unlimited classes – a $75 value – for just $35, and 10% of each voucher sold goes directly to School Fuel. I understand you can buy up to four of these, meaning you can go a long way on that New Year’s resolution to get fit. It’s okay if that was your resolution for 2011 and you’ve just been looking for the right place to get started. You can find out more here.

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has stepped up in a big way to support School Fuel. Under Rickey’s Community Partner Program, diners wave their special Rickey’s card from School Fuel, and School Fuel receives 15% of the dining check. Each and every single time the card is used. According to Patch member John Marshall, you can pick up a card the next time you’re at Rickey’s or you can email School Fuel Executive Director Susan Mathews. I’m not sure that you could find an easier way to support the local schools. It’s not like you’re not already dining at Rickey’s, right?

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I’ve had the pleasure of hitting up quite a few fundraisers during the past week. San Jose’s Fall Fling was a blast, with lots of good food, student musical and dance performances, and the infamous rockin’ the gym.

On Sunday, I helped at the Lincoln Drive Smart for Your School event over at Novato High. Close to 100 people came and test drove a Lincoln, and each driver meant another $20 in the coffers to upgrade the computer lab. Simple math tells me we raised close to $2,000. I’ve uploaded some photos from the event. The only downside was a personal one; my glasses were mistakenly taken by one of the drivers. Here’s hoping she finds them in her purse soon and sends them back my way.

Thursday night, I went to the Vets & Cadets dinner, the fundraiser for Novato High’s JROTC project. All the vets who attended got in free. They were out in force, and they all seemed to be having a great time. Plenty of cadets and Rotarians and American Legion Auxiliary members, along with parents of cadets, put in a heck of an effort to honor the veterans. It was a great way to spend the Veterans Day eve.