Rye Street Tavern in South Baltimore is one of the newer restaurants in the city's dining scene. They have a relax vibe, great food and a desire to give back.
They are one of 21 restaurants participating in the Maryland Food Bank's "Dine Out 2 Help Out" fundraiser.
"Why not get involved with something like this?" said Patrick Petrides, the general manager at Rye Street Tavern.
"First and foremost, its a great way for us to connect with the Baltimore community. Its an incredibly easy way to help contribute to such an important cause."
The restaurants will donate five percent of their sales from March 19-22 to the food bank, which distributes about 37 million meals a year.
"Its never okay for us to have empty shelves," said Amy Chase, the director of corporate relations at the Maryland Food Bank.
"This is so important that we raise money because for every dollar donated, we can provide three meals for food insecure people throughout the state."
More than 600,000 Maryland residents are food insecure, according to the food bank, and one in six kids goes to school hungry. It's statistics like this that motivate restaurants like Rye Street Tavern to act.
"Its devastating. That's a huge number, especially working in a restaurant and feeding people for a living, it really breaks your heart," said Petrides. "So any opportunity to contribute, we will be there."
