The public is invited to a benefit beef stew dinner on Saturday, March 7 from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Old Town United Methodist Church, 726 Stillwater Avenue. Dinner will include beef stew, homemade corn bread, dessert, coffee, tea, and punch. The cost is $7 for adults, $5 for children age 12 and under, and $20 for a family of two adults with two or more children.

All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Imagine No Malaria campaign, an initiative of the United Methodist Church in concert with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Red Cross. Although malaria was eliminated in the US in the 1950s, it kills a person every 60 seconds in Africa. The good news is that it is totally preventable through education, communication, health facilities, and bed nets. (Many of these same regimens have also proven effective in preventing Ebola.) Just ten dollars will save a life. To date, this worldwide initiative has impacted 4.6 million lives and cut the number of deaths in half. Together, we can eradicate malaria worldwide in our lifetime.

For more information, call the Old Town United Methodist Church at 827-3559.