News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Cookeville Regional Charitable Foundation will kick-off its annual Restaurant Week this Sunday, May 5.
Foundation Director John Bell said 15 area restaurants will participate in this year’s event.
“All those restaurants are either donating a percentage of sales for the whole week to patient assistance programs, or they’re offering some sort of special menu item or menu combination that you can’t get any other time of year,” Bell said.
The Foundation and other area restaurant owners officially kicked-off the event during a special event at the Blue Pig in downtown Cookeville Wednesday.
Bell said all proceeds will go towards various funds through the Foundation to assist in patient recovery.
“All the money we collect during Restaurant Week is restricted money for our patient assistance funds, [and] we have funds for various patient groups,” Bell said. “There’s a cancer fund, art fund, pediatric fund, and many other funds restricted for specific patients. 100 percent of the money collected for Restaurant Week is restricted to those funds. We don’t use anything for overhead or staff expenses.”
Bell said the funding can also help patients even after they’ve left the hospital.
“A lot of the money we collect through events like this will help a patient maybe with medication that’s not covered by insurance or with specialized equipment they can’t afford,” Bell said. “Often times it’s simple stuff like groceries or helping with their home needs as they deal with what can be a catastrophic diagnosis.”
This year’s event is sponsored by IWC Food Services of Cookeville. A full list of participating restaurants and their menus can be found by visiting CookevilleRestaurantWeek.org.
