Show Your Support for Medical Cannabis in Walnut Creek, Get Some Free Pizza

Walnut Creek residents and others who support safe and reliable access to medical cannabis for local patients are invited to a meeting Thursday evening--and some free pizza.

The organizers of the meeting Thursday at Rocco's Pizza Ristorante say they support the Walnut Creek City Council's effort to "create a well-regulated ordinance that protects patient's safe access to medical cannabis."

The organizers are looking to get a group of community activists and patients together in Walnut Creek, and the surrounding areas, in order to stress the need and advocate for responsible, community-based medical marijuana dispensaries.

If you're interested in attending, the meeting will be 6 to 8 p.m. at Rocco's Pizzeria Ristorante in the Encina Grande shopping center at Ygnacio Valley and Oak Grove roads.

Top local restaurants and wineries unite Sunday to hold benefit for Haiti

Want a chance to sample food from some of our best restaurants in our ‘burbs? You can on Sunday afternoon in a tent at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club.  You can taste food from this restaurant, as well as from other favorites, such as Lark Creek Walnut Creek, Prima, Va de Vi, and Walnut Creek Yacht in Walnut Creek, and from Bridges in Danville and Postino in Danville. You can also enjoy sweet treats from Walnut Creek Baking Company or Leonidas chocolate.

Working with Boston-based Partners in Health, these restaurants will host an afternoon, from 1 to 5 p.m., of great food, drink, and music. The tunes will be provided by noted winemaker Robert Foley and his Robert Foley Band.

This is the second major effort by local eateries to raise money to help victims of the January 12, 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, which has left as many as 300,000 dead. Back in January, Rocco’s Ristorante Pizzeria held a three-day fundraiser, in which the family-owned restaurant pledged 25 percent of earnings from lunch and dinner to go to the Red Cross.

Money raised at Sunday’s event will benefit Partners in Health, a 501-(c) 3 that has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years.

A press release about Sunday’s event says that tax deductible tickets, which include one raffle ticket, are $100 per person, and are available at the participating restaurants.  Raffle tickets are $10 each and are also available at participating restaurants.

“PIH works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in 12 countries around the world. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for their patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world.

Based in Boston, PIH employs more than 11,000 people worldwide, including doctors, nurses and community health workers. The vast majority of PIH staff are local nationals based in the communities that they serve.”

Eat at Rocco's this week, and you and Rocco's will be donating big-time to Haitian relief efforts

I don't get to Rocco's Ristorante Pizzeria enough! It's a fun, locally run, family-owned business that also serves good pizza. Owner Rocco Biale is also generous towards local kids sports teams.

Well, Rocco Biale is really stepping up to the proverbial plate. He's holding a fundraiser Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to help people in Haiti devastated by the 7.0 earthquake on January 12. The confirmed death toll now stands at 111,481, and more than 600,000 have been left homeless.

According to an e-mail sent by City Councilman Kish Rajan, if you dine in or take-out from Rocco's for lunch or dinner these three days, Biale will donate 25 percent of the proceeds to the Red Cross.

Twenty-five percent! That's very generous, especially in these tough times for restaurateurs.

"Sadly the devastation in Haiti continues, and the human toll is just incredible," Rajan writes. "And while millions (including many of you) have already made generous donations, the need continues to be enormous. So, we wanted to create another opportunity to make a difference."

You can also leave donations at Rocco's, which the restaurant will forward to the Red Cross.

Rocco’s is located at 2909 Ygnacio Valley Rd in Walnut Creek , in the Encina Grande shopping center. For more info call (925) 947-6105 or visit http://www.roccospizzeria.com/

"Please bring your family, friends and neighbors to Rocco’s one day next week for great food and atmosphere, and to support this most worthy cause. Let’s bring our community together and show what we can do!"