World AIDS Day is Friday, Dec. 5, and all you have to do to help out is eat out.
Almost 40 restaurants from around the county are participating in the SLO County AIDS Support Network's Food Pantry Program and donating 10 percent of their entire day's earnings during Eat Out Save Lives Day.

Edie Kahn is the executive director of SLO County AIDS Support Network and said the efforts of these restaurants, as well as their customers, will help out their 145 clients.

"Most of our clients here are functioning on a very low income. They're struggling to make ends meet on about $775 a month. [The Food Pantry Program] helps them by providing some staple foods that enables them to not have to spend their money on those things when they go to the store."

The program hopes to raise $5,000-$6,000 to buy staples such as canned meats, canned tuna, meat, chicken, canned vegetables, fruits, soups, and pasta.

"Some of our clients just need [the pantry program] once, twice, or three times a year; others are very dependent on the food pantry," Kahn said.

In addition to the Eat Out Save Lives Day, the AIDS support Network held "A Day Without Art" event around San Luis Obispo on Dec. 1. The purpose of this event, Kahn said, is a reminder to people to look at our losses to the AIDS epidemic over the past 20 years.

"One of the areas that was particularly hardest hit [by the epidemic] was the arts community, and it gave us a chance to look around the community and see what it would look like without art and artisans," Kahn said.

The Network shrouded large public art pieces like Puck in Downtown Centre, the Bear in Mission Plaza, and Garnet outside of Rudolph's.

FAST FACTS

Raingrass, located at 1129 Garden St., has got a special deal for downtown SLO business owners and employees. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9 till Thursday the 11th, they are offering 22 percent off on select merchandise. Raingrass makes all its own products for reducing stress, headaches, and aches and pains, including lavender wraps, massage oils, and so much more. Raingrass will wrap all your gifts, and if you can't make it on those days, check out their web site at Raingrass.com and call in your order at 541-4100. .

. The Gold Coast Chorus and the United States Marine Corps present the fourth annual Toys 4 Tots Drive on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.) at the San Luis Obispo Vets Hall, 801 Grand Ave. Sponsors ask you to join them in an afternoon of sharing. Please bring an unwrapped gift with a value of $10 or more. For more information, contact Dick Parker at 772-3507. .

. Star Computers of Morro
Bay will once again be providing free e-mail services to any armed service personnel in the world during the month of December. No appointment is necessary, and only the e-mail address of the receiver is needed. This year you will be able to send a video e-mail with sound and movement. The personnel at Star Computers will set up the e-mail account for you, and no computer experience is needed. The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Star Computers is located at 430 Quintana Road in Morro Bay. For more information, call 772-7827. .

. On Nov. 24, the California Mid-State Fair (CMSF) announced the appointment of Danna Stroud as its new marketing director. Stroud joined the CMSF team in March 2003 as publicity director. Prior to arriving at the fair, she served as the director of tourism marketing for the Paso Robles Visitors & Conference Bureau. A Paso Robles native, she was employed in the hospitality and tourism industry in Southern California for over 15 years before returning to Paso Robles in 2000. Stroud will be responsible for the fair's sponsorship programs and public relations department. The California Mid-State Fair will run July 28-Aug. 8, 2004. For more information, contact the CMSF office at 239-0655 or visit www.midstatefair.com. .

. F. McLintock's hosts its 22nd annual complimentary luncheon for Central Coast Pearl Harbor survivors at noon on Friday, Dec. 5.
As the nation commemorates the 62nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor, local survivors will gather at Steamers of Pismo, where a complimentary luncheon will be provided to salute those who lived through the Pearl Harbor experience. The annual luncheon began in 1981 at F. McLintock's Saloon in San Luis Obispo after saloon managers had noticed that every year on Dec. 7
a few regular customers who were Pearl Harbor survivors would gather to share their experiences. In 1990, the event outgrew the SLO McLintock's and was moved to the larger McLintock's in Shell Beach, and in 2001 the event was moved to Steamers to give the survivors an ocean setting. Invitees will enjoy a complimentary lunch, tell their
dramatic Pearl Harbor experiences, and share a moment of silence in the hopes that others will remember and learn from this historic event. ³

This week's Strokes & Plugs were compiled by Staff Writer Matt McBride. Intern Dylan Price contributed.