Menu for Hope

If you ever buy a lottery ticket or sign up for a sweepstakes, you know that little shiver of pleasure that comes from thinking, "Ooooh, what if I win?" You know that the odds probably aren't in your favor, but you still get a little lift, which is what makes it fun. (But preferably not addictive.)

However, here's a raffle you can get in on that does have good odds, with a really cause behind it that adds goodness to your self-indulgence.

I donated to Menu for Hope last year, and while I didn't win anything, it added some very pleasant anticipation to the holidays. And the campaign raised more than $60,000!

Menu for Hope was started at Chez Pim after the Asian tsunami in 2002 and each year has gotten bigger and bigger. This year, donations go the UN World Food Programme's Lesotho project, which provides lunches to schoolchildren. The prizes consist of donations from food bloggers all over the world, and range from foods and wines to restaurant visits, vineyard tours, kitchen gear, cookbooks, weekend getaways ... you name it. For every $10 you donate, you get a raffle ticket for the prize of your choice.

Menu for Hope ends on Dec. 21, and winners are announced in January. Go ahead and give a little. You'll be doing good, you'll feel good, and you might even win something!

Click here for an explanation of Menu for Hope.

Click here for a list of all the fabulous prizes.

(P.S. Click on the prize links to make sure what you're bidding on is something you can collect. Some of the liquor, for example – including the 18-year-old Chivas, darn! – can only be delivered in Bangkok. And of course, dinner in, say, London, doesn't include airfare and accommodations.)