Dine United with United Way of Northwest Illinois to Make Your Meal Count!

United Way of Northwest Illinois has started a new fundraising campaign called Dine United as of December, 2025! Dine United is a community fundraising event where participating restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from one day to United Way of Northwest Illinois. Proceeds go directly toward programs that support individuals experiencing moments of hardship within our communities. 

According to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) survey in 2023, 12% of Illinois households were financially insecure. Yet this measure failed to account for an additional 25% of households that were also experiencing financial hardship. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed - with income above the FPL, but not enough to fully afford basic expenses in the county where they live. When you support restaurants participating in dine United, you are directly supporting your own community. To find out more about who ALICE is, click here to visit United for ALICE.

The first restaurant to participate in Dine United was Full Circle Cafe and Collective (Freeport, IL) with the Lena Fast Stop (Lena, IL) following quickly after. Both agreed to participate throughout the month of December, donating a portion of prepared food sales and tips. After the first weekend of Dine United, Kat, the owner of Full Circle Cafe and Collective, was overwhelmed with the community outpour visiting her business. Dine United will be an ongoing community fundraising event and we are actively seeking new restaurants, cafes, and eateries to participate! If your company wishes to participate in Dine United, a Workplace Campaign, or any other form of business support with United Way of Northwest Illinois, please contact our office at 815-232-5184 or email jamie.cullor@uwni.org for more information. 

Click here to view the Dine United page to see what businesses are currently participating!