On Thursday, Aug. 26, Mama’s Kitchen, a nonprofit delivery service dedicated to providing nutritious meals 365 days a year to San Diegans affected by AIDS, and Bourbon Street present their ninth annual wine tasting event. All proceeds benefit the home-delivered meals program to those living with AIDS throughout San Diego County.

“Bourbon & Blue Velvet” will feature the cabaret music of the Blue Velvet trio, a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres from Prego Ristorante, California Cuisine, Ono Sushi, The Abbey Café and Twiggs Tea & Coffee and Bakery. Southern Wine and Spirits will sample four different types of wines throughout the evening.

Bourbon & Blue Velvet begins at 6:00 p.m. at Bourbon Street, located at 4612 Park Blvd. Tickets are $35. For information, call (619) 233-6262.

The board of directors for San Diego LGBT Pride will hold an open house at 7:00 p.m., Aug. 31, at the Pride office, located at 1807 Robinson St., Suite 106. The event, geared for members of the community interested in serving on the board, will focus on all facets of board service, including the process involved for becoming a board member.

The board’s ongoing, yearlong duties include planning a successful and safe Pride celebration each year as well as creating policy that supports the management and fiscal stability of the organization.

Next year’s Pride celebration is scheduled for July 29-31. For more information, call (619) 297-7683.

The Transgender Community Coalition (TCC), a group of organizations and individuals working together towards equality for the transgender community, hold their first planning meeting for Day of Remembrance 2004 on Monday, Aug. 30, at The Center. All organizations and individuals are invited to take part. The initial meeting is to set up an event organizing committee.

The Day of Remembrance is intended to bring together the GLBT and allied communities to honor the lives of those lost to violence. The TCC also hopes to increase public awareness of the transgender community and the violence often perpetraded against them.

The planning meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. at The Center, Room 201. The Day of Remembrance is scheduled for Nov. 20.

Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Gay Men’s Health Program will present this month’s “5 Minute Man” on Sunday, Sept. 5. The event is designed to be a fun, free, safe and entertaining way to increase your social circle. It takes place at the Joyce Beers Community Center from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Call (619) 515-2424 ext. 2912 for further information.

Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Gay Men’s Health Program is holding its fifth Gay Men’s Relationship and Empowerment Retreat Sept. 10-12 in Julian. Participants will get a chance to address relationship issues important to gay men in a safe and supportive environment. One of the goals of this retreat is to allow individuals to learn from each other’s past experiences and break down some of the stereotypes associated with gay relationships. This is a free event; food and lodging will be provided.

Call (619) 515-2424 ext. 2912 for more information.

To memorialize the recent passing of 4th District City Councilmember, Charles Lewis, and to commemorate his life and commitment to the district and city, Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins has called on the San Diego Workforce Partnership, which has representation from San Diego city and county elected officials, to rename its South Metro Career Center the “Charles L. Lewis III One-Stop Career Center”. The center, which opened earlier this year at the Imperial Marketplace in the community of Mountain View, was one of Lewis’ top priorities for his district and one of his proudest achievements.

Equality California (EQCA) invites the entire community to help with their new Family Media Project. EQCA is seeking out families to participate in creating a booklet of stories explaining why marriage access is important to kids. The stories will be shared with the public, elected officials and other fair-minded, non-gay people. EQCA is asking families and children to send letters explaining things that children of gay parents have said about the issue of same-sex marriage, including testimonials and drawings that depict the real life struggles and joy of their families.

Along with any poems, letters and drawings, EQCA is asking for a picture of the family to be included. For more information, contact Marina Gatto, intern coordinator for the EQCA Family Media Project, at marina@eqca.org.

Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Transgender Health Project is researching the needs of the San Diego County transgender community. Funded by The California Endowment, the project is currently conducting a comprehensive needs assessment to document the specific needs of this community. The results of the project will culminate in the San Diego Transgender Healthcare Needs Report. Many transgender people live below poverty level with yearly incomes less than $10,000. Additionally, many health and social service agencies lack the training and experience to meet the specific needs of this population. The needs assessment acts as a blueprint for developing much-needed services. All individuals who identity on the transgender continuum are asked to participate in the needs assessment by contacting Tracie Jada O’Brien at the (619) 515-2411 or tracieo@fhcsd.org. There is an incentive for all who participate.

In an effort to offer better healthcare to the San Diego community, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is opening a low-cost community acupuncture clinic Sept. 9.The community clinic will conduct treatments in a group setting and will focus on specific disorders, such as back pain, headache and asthma. The community clinic will be available to local businesses, employees of local companies and those who have few affordable health resources available to them.

The community acupuncture clinic will take place every Thursday from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the college’s Mission Valley campus. The cost for appointments will be approximately $15 per treatment.

For more information about Pacific College’s new clinic or to make an appointment, call (619) 574-6932.

The Center announced it is moving its North County location to Oceanside. The Center currently provides services two days a week in Oceanside and will move there full time beginning Sept. 1.

The Center’s Oceanside facility will be in the Being Alive North County Resource Center, located at 804 Pier View Way. This site will offer mental health services, meeting spaces for groups, the opportunity to connect with other GLBT people and resources and access to a range of HIV/AIDS services.

Volunteers will be needed for the Oceanside location. For more information on how to become a Center volunteer, contact Twyla Perry at (619) 692-2077 ext. 108.

Family Health Centers of San Diego is having an open call for its “HIV Stops With Me” campaign. The campaign aims to reduce the stigma associated with HIV and to acknowledge the powerful role that people who are positive have in ending the epidemic. It does this by featuring HIV-positive individuals talking about important issues. The campaign deals directly with sex and condom use, and raises important themes such as responsibility, communication and disclosure of status. Family Health Centers is currently seeking HIV-positive Latino gay males to join the endeavor. If you or anyone you may know would like to take part, contact Felipe Garcia at (619) 515-2447.