Top Chefs for Mental Health dinner drive by Tiny Bites and Friends

Help us buy you a dinner pass to Top Chefs for Mental Health: a dinner fundraiser benefiting the BC Mental Health Foundation and the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia.

About our dinner drive

From May 1-31, 2011, Tiny Bites and its Friends aims to raise $4,000: the price of an exclusive dinner for 8 from the Top Chefs for Mental Health fundraiser (let's call this event BC Top Chefs from now on). Once we accumulate $4,000, we will then turn around and give away all 8 dinner seats to those who helped us reach our target. Since there are only 8 spots to get, we have also secured a number of great prizes to give away as well. Amounts raised above $4,000 will go directly to the BC Mental Health Foundation...unless we raise another $4,000. Should we get to that, we'll give away another 8 dinner spots! And so on and so forth. Our fundraising tally and prize winners will be announced on June 1, 2011.

Dinner details

Save two dates for us if you are one of our dinner guests. First is the Top Chefs for Mental Health private reception on Tuesday, June 21, 2011. We'll meet the mystery chef who will cook us dinner and work with Chef to schedule our meal. The dinner is penciled in our calendar for Sunday, July 10, 2011. If this conflicts with our mystery chef's calendar, we are going to go with these alternative dates, in this order:

• Sunday, July 17, 2011
• Sunday, July 31, 2011

Either way, we are going to try real hard to keep it to a Sunday evening in July.

How to Win

4 of the 8 seats of the BC Top Chefs dinner will go to the 4 people that donate the most. To qualify for one of these Top Donor Guaranteed Seats, you must donate at least $100 and be ranked the #1, #2, #3, or #4 highest donor by midnight on June 1, 2011. The remaining 4 seats will be randomly selected out of all the people that have donated at least $50 to the dinner drive. Every $50 you donate will get you an additional entry to the draw. No matter how much you donate, whether it be $20 or $200, you will get entered to win one of many sponsored prizes that we have lined up for you. That being said...please donate now!

About your donation

100% of the funds we collect will be transferred to the BC Mental Health Foundation on June 1, 2011. $1,000 of it will be used to cover the chef's food cost and prep; the rest will benefit the BC Mental Health Foundation (and through them, the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia). Because we are raffling prizes and dinner spots in order to raise the price of the dinner ticket, CRA won't let us use the BC Mental Health Foundation's donation form (or CanadaGives.org, or anything that gives a tax receipt). We consequently chose Eventbrite to collect your pledges. There are processing fees because all these online collection sites charge 'em. We hope you don't mind. If you do want to get a tax receipt, I encourage you to donate directly to the BC Mental Health Foundation. It won't count towards our $4,000 dinner drive target, and I won't be able to tell that you contributed (unless you contact me), but your support will be much appreciated.

Why mental health matters

I've been personally touched by mental illness - 3 different mood disorders, in fact - and many of my loved ones have either suffered, are suffering, or have lost their lives due to mental illness. There's unfortunately a huge social stigma attached to having mental health issues. It makes it hard for people afflicted with mental illness to admit there's a problem, seek professional help, and find solace and support from their friends and family. This is my personal journey to air my challenges so that I can come to terms with my illness. I hope it inspires others to find the courage to seek help or support if they need it.

About Top Chefs for Mental Health

Benefiting the BC Mental Health Foundation, Top Chefs for Mental Health gives you an opportunity to entertain seven guests of your choosing in your own home while one of BC's finest chefs cooks you dinner.

When you purchase a Top Chefs for Mental Health dinner, you'll secure a spot at the private reception held on June 21, 2011. You can mingle with the chefs, the other ticket holders, plus some special guests. While enjoying some great food and cocktails, you'll find out which celebrity chef will be cooking for you.

Buy your own Top Chefs for Mental Health dinner >

About the BC Mental Health Foundation

The BC Mental Health Foundation seeks to increase public awareness about mental health and substance use issues. Mental Health is an issue that touches us all, from those who seemingly "have it all", to our most disadvantaged, suffering from homelessness, addiction and violence. Mental illness knows no boundaries. The Foundation is committed to funding research leading to breakthrough treatments. Transferring this knowledge into clinical best practices will then lead to better outcomes for people living with mental health issues.

About the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia

The Chefs' Table Society of BC is a chef-administered, province-wide collaborative dedicated to creating a foundation for the exchange of information between culinary professionals. The Society supports innovative and sustainable programs that will inspire, educate and nurture our chefs, our producers and our local food industry, all the while promoting standards of excellence with the aim of enhancing the reputation of our regional cuisine.