LOCAL Houston | The City Guide APRIL 2016 | Page 12

ON OUR RADAR Sugar Land’s Wine & Food Festival, a five-day foodiepalooza featuring culinary stars and a pop-up butcher shop, takes place April 6–10. Choose one of the seven events held at five Sugar Land venues with more than 75 chefs and restaurants and hundreds of different featured wines and spirits, or be a glutton and do them all. We won’t judge. The festival’s proceeds support a permanent scholarship endowment at UH’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. www.sugarlandwineandfoodaffair.com Shop with Heart this month! It’s easy: Buy a card at participating retailers (visit www.shopwithheart.org for a list) for $50 and 100% of the proceeds benefit the American Heart Association, whose mission it is to promote healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Enjoy 20% off regularly priced merchandise at participating retailers and a complimentary appetizer or dessert with the purchase of an entrée at participating restaurants for 10 days, April 22–May 1. 12 L O C A L | april 16 Photography courtesy of Sugar Land Food and Wine Affair Sheila Aron started the Thread Alliance nonprofit to end the cycle of child abuse. Aron’s devotion to the cause has been steadfast and strong since its inception in 2011, and in February Aron was named one of Houston’s “Four. For Good.” by Neighborhood Centers. This month you can help Aron make a difference by supporting the Blue Plate Special. The citywide awareness campaign held during the month of April, which is also Child Abuse Prevention Month, encourages Houstonians to dine at local restaurants participating in the Blue Plate Special where proceeds from featured dishes go back to the Thread Alliance. www.thethreadalliance.org