What a remarkable thing. The Charlottesville 29 have partnered with McGuire Woods and a slew of Charlottesville restaurants to help the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (one of my favorites charities).

Hunger is a stubborn problem – globally, nationally and regionally. Here in the Charlottesville area, it still impacts as many as one in ten people, and the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank helps by feeding an average of 118,000 per month. But, it cannot continue to do this without the support of the community.

With The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions, the restaurants of The Charlottesville 29 are coming together to help the area’s hungry by creating signature, once-in-lifetime experiences and offering them to whoever pledges the highest donation to the food bank. The restaurants are donating all of the food and beverage, and McGuireWoods is covering residual expenses, so every dollar of the winning bids will go directly to the food bank. And, thanks to the efficiency of the food bank, each dollar is enough to provide four meals to the area’s hungry, meaning the auction winners’ meals will result in thousands more meals for the area’s hungry.

While the signature experiences vary from one restaurant to another, what they all share is the opportunity to enjoy a top area restaurant in a way you’ve never enjoyed it before. Imagine a multi-course feast of a restaurant chef’s favorite dishes for a large group of friends, prepared and served by the chef himself, paired with wines. Or, a hands-on group cooking demonstration followed by a custom-prepared meal at your favorite restaurant, all while having the whole place to yourself.

Take a look at the area census data, and the Charlottesville area is an area with tremendous wealth, and remarkable poverty. This is an amazing opportunity to do good, and eat well. (some of the auctions are going for some remarkable prices — good.)

What Simon, the restaurants, and McGuire Woods are doing is a prime example of what makes Charlottesville such a great place to live.