Dozens of restaurants across Tucson will be helping to support victims of sexual assault during the annual "Dine out for Safety" event Wednesday.
Participating restaurants will be donating up to 20% of their profits to support ending violence in the community.
"Every 2.5 minutes someone is sexually assaulted in the United States," said Kristine Hall, Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault's Senior VP. "One in five women will be assaulted sexually in their lifetime. Nearly 50 percent of transgender individuals are raped in their lifetime. It is horrifying statistics."
Hall said last year the event raised over $44,000 and this year they are on track to surpass last year.
She explained there has been a 9% increase this year in the number of survivors the organization helped compared to last year.
"We want to tell you, you are not alone and it's not your fault and we believe you," Hall said. "That's first and foremost and we are here for you. If you need someone to talk to and even if you don't know exactly what happened but you think something did happen, give us a call."
Hall says the organization receives about 5,000 hotline crisis calls a year and this event helps survivors get their voice and power back.
Some of the 23 participating restaurants include Gentle Ben's, Vero Amore, and Kingfisher Bar & Grill.
