As the Great American Dine Out approaches, National Restaurant Association members are gearing up for the Sept. 19 through 25 fundraising event.

At Steve & Cookie’s on the Bay, Margate, N.J., owner Cookie Till and her 70 employees promote the dine out event through social media and more traditional means. They contact guests through e-mail and Facebook and print customized posters, table tents and check stuffers from Share Our Strength, which started the national, weeklong event three years ago to help end childhood hunger.

“We get everyone involved,” says Till, who opened the 220-seat restaurant in a historic building 14 years ago. “People want to help out, but they don’t always know how or which organizations to support.”

Likewise, Clancy’s Restaurant in Dennis Port, Mass., relies on modern and traditional marketing. Husband-and-wife owners Guy Erickson and Martha Mendoza use their frequent-diner list of 2,500 e-mail addresses to get the word out, plus their e-newsletter, which goes to 4,000 people. They also use their regularly monthly radio ad to promote the Great American Dine Out.

The restaurant’s long-time employees promote the event outside the restaurant: at their kids’ schools, their yoga studios, etc., says Erickson. “It’s all about teamwork,” he says. Last year, Clancy’s raised $3,000 by donating a portion of sales. It was the second highest amount raised by an independent restaurant, according to Share Our Strength.

“The community just wrapped their arms around it,” Erickson says.

When customers see that their favorite restaurants support causes like the Great American Dine Out, they typically support them, says Till, who’s been involved with the event since its inception.

Her employees help pique guests’ enthusiasm by telling them that Till personally matches the money raised through guest donations and dedicated sales. “The servers make sure I give a pretty good chunk of money,” she says with a laugh. Last year, the restaurant raised $2,300.

Till and Erickson say it’s important for the restaurant industry to support philanthropies that feed hungry people, especially children. “We’re a nation of such abundance,” Erickson says.

Clancy’s and Steve & Cookie’s are just two of the more 3,500 restaurants participating in this year’s Great American Dine Out. Through their participation, Share Our Strength aims to raise $1.1 million this year; last year, restaurants contributed more than $800,000. The National Restaurant Association is a founding sponsor of the event.

Restaurants can participate by donating a percentage of sales, dedicating proceeds from certain menu items or other means. Find out how to participate or support a participating restaurant.