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Thankful for life: Yelp’s Worldly Eats event benefits suicide prevention services

Step into the Thanksgiving spirit with limitless food and drink from local restaurants, all while saying thank you to the Crisis Intervention Center in Baton Rouge. Yelp is hosting its fundraising event “Yelp’s Worldly Eats: Thanksgiving Edition” next Thursday, November 16, at Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge. For a $15 donation, patrons will be treated to an evening of global cuisine presented by local food and drink sponsors including Barcadia, Sammy’s Grill, Creole Cabana, Mr. Ronnie’s Donuts and the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

The event will include aerial and circus arts and fire show performances by GymFit Baton Rouge and Bayou Cirque, along with raffle opportunities from Mercedes-Benz, Community Coffee, White House Black Market, Jambalaya Shoppe and more. Yelp encourages guests to get to know their local Baton Rouge businesses by bookmarking those they meet on the Yelp app throughout the evening.

All proceeds will go to the Crisis Intervention Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing emotional support to the community through its 24/7 crisis line The Phone and various training programs geared towards suicide prevention and trauma relief.

“Rarely do we have an opportunity to bring community awareness to chronic mental illness, substance abuse and those facing emotional distress on such a large scale,” says Crisis Intervention Center Executive Director Aaron Blackledge. “The Yelp Worldly Eats event allows us the opportunity for meaningful dialogue with the community.”

Through The Phone, the Center successfully intervenes on 92% of callers considering suicide. This Thanksgiving, as we look around at all we have to be thankful for, many people in the community are looking towards the Crisis Center, thankful for life itself. Patrons of Yelps Worldly Eats will not only be supporting that appreciation of life, but will take part in celebrating it with the community.

For more information and to RSVP to Yelp’s Worldly Eats, visit the event page here.