Come on People, Give till it Hurts (and Win!)

Today is the last day that you can donate to A Menu For Hope, an amazing collaboration of the world's culinary bloggers.

This morning when I checked the donation site, we had raise nearly $39,000 -- which means that you have already shattered my expectations. Thank you for your generosity thus far.

But, this thing isn't over people! Donations are being accepted the rest of the day today and there are new prizes being added every day.

Many of the Long Island wine-themed prizes I put together only have a handful of people in the running, so your chances of winning are VERY good.

And, in case you missed them...here they are again (shortened descriptions):

Taste the Hamptons Wine Basket (WB17)

• One (1) bottle of Channing Daughters Winery 2005 Vino Bianco
• One (1) bottle of Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2003 Reserve Chardonnay
• A free tasting for four (4) at Channing Daughters Winery's tasting room
• A VIP Tour and Tasting for two (2) at Wolffer Estate Vineyards
• Four (4) tickets to a summer performance at the Southampton Cultural Center
• Approximate value: $250

"Big" Reds of Long Island (WB18)

• One (1) 3-liter bottle of Raphael 2001 First Label Merlot
• One (1) Magnum of Castello di Borghese 2001 Merlot
• One (1) 750ml bottle of Roanoke Vineyards 2003 Blend 2
• One (1) 750ml bottle of Peconic Bay Winery 2000 Cabernet Franc -- NEWLY ADDED
• Approximate value: $295

A Romantic Getaway for Long Island Wine Lovers (WB19)

• One (1) night at Harvest Inn B&B, including gourmet breakfast the next morning
• Tour for two (2) with Vintage Tours, which includes a 5-hour tour of at least three wineries and a gourmet picnic lunch
• One (1) bottle of Martha Clara Vineyards Brut Sparkling Wine
• One (1) bottle of Peconic Bay Winery 2001 Steel Fermented Chardonnay -- NEWLY ADDED
• Approximate value: $425

Learn About and Taste Wines on Long Island (WB20)

• One (1) night at Red Barn B&B for two, including a country breakfast in the morning.
• Two (2) gift certificates for two (2) people to take classes at Grand Cru Classes (4 classes total)
• One (1) bottle of Waters Crest Winery Reserve Merlot
• One (1) bottle of Waters Crest Winery Reserve Chardonnay
• Approximate value: $520

Taste the North Fork of Long Island (WB21)

• A free tasting for two (2) at Paumanok Vineyards and a 35% discount on wine purchases up to $500
• VIP Tasting and Tour for four (4) at Bedell Cellars, which includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities, a wine and cheese pairing, and tastes of their premium wines.
• A Private Tasting for you and your friends at Martha Clara Vineyards at their private tasting bar.
• A Private Tour and Tasting for six (6) at Waters Crest Winery, conducted by the owners and winemaker
• A Tour and Tasting for four (4) at Shinn Estate Vineyards, conducted by the owners
• Four (4) Cuvee Tasting Flights at Macari Vineyards and a $25 gift certificate for the tasting room
• Approximate value: $400

Personal Tour of Long Island Wine Country (WB22)
Anyone can drive around Long Island's East End and visit wineries, but where should you go? What wines are the best? Who is pouring the latest and greatest releases? There's nothing better than tasting through wine country with a local wine expert.

Win this lot and enjoy a personal tour for two (2) of Long Island wine country with me. I'll talk to you beforehand to customize the itinerary to your wine tastes and then join you as you visit some of my favorite wineries and taste my favorite wines. Approximate value: $200

---

To donate to this great cause and buy raffle tickets:    

1. Go to the donation page
2. 2.   Make a donation, each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.  Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Note the WB#s above. This is very important. Tell us how many tickets you want to allocate per prize, and please use the prize code -- for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for WB17 and 3 for WB19.
3. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we can claim the corporate match.
4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.  Your email address will not be shared with anyone.
5. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the result of the raffle.  (The drawing will be done electronically.  Our friend the code wizard Derrick at Obsession with Food is responsible for the wicked application that will do the job.)

Comments

[Jason Feulner]

What about WB18?

[Dantae]

I've been planning on donating all week and this last post finally got me to sit down and do it. And you know what? It didn't hurt at all! As a matter of fact it felt quite good.