Tavern Guild members put together and distributed gift baskets for clients of area AIDS service providers today

With so many holiday charity fundraising activities going on in the LGBT community this week, there wasn’t room to talk about all of them in Friday’s print edtiion. Here’s a little more about some of the projects and how to give:

1,000 baskets

Since 1986, Dallas Tavern Guild has distributed baskets to people with AIDS. On Thursday, owners and employees from a number of Oak Lawn-area bars got together at Station 4 at noon to put together and distribute bags with fruit, a stuffed animal, cookies or candy and a holiday letter. They distributed the gift bags to AIDS Interfaith Network, AIDS Services Dallas, Parkland Hospital and other AIDS service providers.

Legacy Stocking Auction

Among the many fundraising activities going on this weekend is the Stocking Auction for Legacy Counseling Center at the Round-Up Saloon.

Organizer Louis Ramos said that more than 100 baskets and stockings will be auctioned live on Sunday from 7–11:30 p.m.

Among the baskets is a trip for two to Puerta Vallarta, including airfare and stay in a condo.

Ramos said that last year the auction netted more than $26,000 and this year the goal is to increase that amount.

All baskets will be on view on Saturday night. The event has gone on for more than 15 years. He said the proceeds have always gone to Legacy because Dwight, a manager at the Round-Up, spent his last weeks at Legacy Founders Cottage and was cared for so well.

Steven Graves and Steve Robertson hold the DVD players they donated to the Angel Tree project.

Angel Tree

Leather Knights and DFW Sisters have put together this year’s Angel Tree at the Dallas Eagle. About 30 requests remained. Pick up an Angel Tree gift request at the Dallas Eagle and return those gifts unwrapped to the bar by Sunday.

Insurance agency owner Steven Graves encouraged other businesses to participate in some of the events going on around the community this week. He said he wanted to put together a food drive for the Resource Center Dallas food pantry with other groups or businesses. He suggested anyone interested contact him and they’d pick a date and supermarket where they would ask shoppers to donate canned goods.

Leather Knights’ Adam Lynn said that as of this morning, these were items still needed. Items must be dropped off at Dallas Eagle by Sunday evening:

Iron
Bed in a Bag
Target/Wal-Mart gift cards
DVD player
Pants
Shirts
Diaper Genie
Board games