Home of the Freedom Dinners. We exist to give freedom by creating beautiful community.
Home of the Freedom Dinners. We exist to give freedom by creating beautiful community.
“Here’s how you can host your own Freedom Dinner!”
A dinner created and funded by your community of home bakers or bakeries, home cooks and chefs, artists, florists, gardeners and flower farmers, decorators, and dish washers all volunteering their time to create a magical evening for the guests.
Guests give a donation to Rescue:Freedom to reserve their seats with all costs for the dinners being covered by the community so every penny of the guests donations benefit Atlas Free to aid in the fight against human trafficking.
Every piece of the dinner is unique to your community. With all of it giving freedom. Who knew that your flower beds and cutting boards, your love for setting pretty tables or creating hand lettered signs could give freedom to a woman trapped in a life she did not choose?!
These dinners are not about one person doing it all, they are about everyone doing what they do best. When we invite people to help in a way that they love creating, we give them a place to connect their heart to purpose.
Beyond the amazing impact these dinners have on the fight against human trafficking, they also have a profound effect on your community. Everyone is waiting for an invitation to find meaning and purpose in their everyday life. Everyone is waiting for an invitation to make a difference. When we openly invite our community to create a dinner together we are also opening the door for people to connect. And when we have a chance to do life together we realize we are not so different after all.
Our table has become a powerful tool to bring our community together, from all corners, from all walks, from all jobs and beliefs : and all in the name of freedom.
You can read even more about how the Freedom Dinners started here.
Sending a real invitation whether it’s online, in the mail or via text message tells your guests you’re planning something especially for them. Here are a few invitation templates to help you invite your people!
Having a spot saved with your guests’ name card is not only hosting perfection (no more awkward, “where do I sit” dance) but it is such a powerful welcome to each person joining you.
We love to have music playing in the kitchen and while we eat. Put the “cook it up” playlist on while you are preparing all the food and switch it over to the jazz playlist once guests start arriving.
Decide who you want to host with. Hosting a dinner party calls for a team - so invite friends to host with you, invite them to cook, prep, set up, serve and clean up. These dinners call for community and make such a big impact on our hearts when we can see how fun it is to serve together.
How many guests would you like to include? 4, 6, 10 …. You decide what will work best for your space.
Create an invitation. This doesn’t have to be fancy, but we do suggest using an online system that will help keep track of your guests. It’s much easier when you can direct everyone to one place for the details and have all of the RSVPs in one place. Start by inviting the people you know, the people you’d love to spend an evening with!
Use the downloadable invite below to spread the word that you’re hosting a Freedom Dinner! Post it on Facebook or Instagram and tell your friends they’re invited to your table, you can direct them to your invitation link for all of the details and to donate to help cover any extra costs. You might just be surprised at who wants to help pay for the candles, or provide beverages - we’re continually blessed by the people in our community that willingly give donations! (Tip: Even when your table is full, post about the Dinner! This spreads the word, it includes more people, it inspires more people to get involved and maybe they’ll host a dinner of their own!)
Set Up your Donation link and include it in the Invitation with the following specific instructions:
”To reserve a seat click this link and donate! We ask that each guests donate a minimu of ____. Your donation is your ticket, this is not a fundraising event, it is dinner with friends. We’re using our freedom to gather to give freedom to those enslaved. Once you’ve donated, please email us to let us know the names of your guests. Come ready to enjoy a leisurely and beautiful evening together!”
NOTE: We strongly suggest that your guests donate to reserve a seat! Freedom Dinners are not traditional fundraising events, they are dinners that give back.You can of course encourage guests to give more at the dinner if they feel led, but your dinner is a way for all of you to come together, united, saying with your actions that you’re using your freedom to gather and give freedom. We’ve found that when you don’t charge for the seats (even $10!!) people flake out which makes planning the evening and filling the table challenging.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW THEY DONATED? The donation link shows who has donated. We ask our guests to give a minimum of $100 to reserve a seat. Then once they’ve donated to send us an email to let us know along with the names of their guests. Having guests give directly to Rescue:Freedom Int makes it so much easier, you don’t have to manage any of the funds and every penny can truly go to those who need help the most!
