Our History

Hundreds of Thousands of Women and Girls in More than 30 Countries Reached Since 2003

In the fall of 2002, Marsha Wallace, a former nurse and mother of four from Greenville, SC, read an article about a group of friends who met for potluck dinners and collected donations for needy families using the money they would have otherwise spent in restaurants.

Marsha was struck by the idea of using “dining out dollars” to help others, and the idea of DFW was born. Her simple, but powerful idea has since captivated hearts across the U.S, and increasingly, the world. DFW has been showcased by the New York Times, Woman's Day magazine, Good Morning America and the Today Show.

Dining for Women from the beginning has focused on improving the lives of women and girls worldwide, who often live on less than $1 a day. By focusing on women and girls, DFW empowers women to find solutions to the problems they face through education, health care, and economic development.

After New Ventures in Philanthropy published a 2004 article on the growing popularity of giving circles, highlighting Dining for Women as one example, our visibility broadened.

More than 400 chapters, engaging over 9,200 active members, are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls living in the most extreme poverty in more than 30 countries.

To date, DFW has raised nearly $2.5 million, one dinner at a time!

Please join us in making a difference.