After having to cancel their annual fundraiser due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, Alamo nonprofit Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation has pivoted to an online fundraising activity and is inviting residents to sign up for its “Dine Together” virtual dinner party.

Set to be held at 6 p.m. next Tuesday (April 28), the dinner will consist of attendees ordering food from a collection of local eateries, eating together via video conference and celebrating a local nonprofit organization.

Proceeds from the dinner will be used to support the Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation, an Alamo-based nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of and supporting families who have been afflicted by the Nephrotic syndrome, a rare and little known auto-immune disease.

"The families we serve at NSF are the exact population most at risk with COVID-19,” said Andi Callaway, founder and president of the Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation. “Our work is needed now more than ever, yet like many, we are facing major setbacks with the cancelation of events."

Funds raised from Dine Together will be used to support a variety of programs sponsored by the Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation, including its "Backpacks of Hope," a program where a backpack full of comfort items and medical supplies are provided to newly diagnosed pediatric patients, "Camp NSF," the foundation's annual patient camp held in Livermore -- which was recently canceled this year due to concerns over the coronavirus -- and its "Thermometer Program," which provides families with hospital grade thermometers.

Interested residents are encouraged to order takeout from one of the event's participating restaurants, which include Cocina Hermanas, Harvest, Danville Brewery Company, The Peasant and the Pear, The Peasant’s Courtyard, and Primo's Pizzeria and Pub.

Participants can sign up for Dine Together on the Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation website for as little as a $20 tax deductible donation or more if the supproter is feeling so inclined. Donors will be sent information on how to connect to the dinner after purchasing a ticket.

Plus, if residents can't make the dinner but still want to support the organization, donations are always appreciated.

"We hope through Dine Together, to bring together our community to support families with a child battling Nephrotic Syndrome, AND support our amazing community of restaurants who help us year after year. We are in this together and we will get through it together," Callaway said.