Three great charities to help this October

Before you do everything bad at Spring carnival and in the general end-of-year giddyup, do something good. Some great charities need support this October.

First there's a new initiative called Dine Pink. Across the entire month, restaurants and bars around Australia will be creating pink drinks and dishes (Cumulus has created a Siberian Sunset cocktail of Aperol, vodka, rhubarb and hibiscus; Epocha is selling a pink meringue mess) with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Network Australia to support those affected by the disease. Check all participating venues at dinepink.gofundraise.com.au.

If you want to know who has the best knees in hospitality, St Ali's Salvatore Malatesta, Chin Chin's Ben Cooper and Pidapipo's Lisa Valmorbida along with 28 other chefs led by dessert boss Pierre Roelofs will be rocking school frocks on October 11, raising money for the One Girl charity, which funds the education of girls in Sierra Leone. The goal this year is $25,000. Donate via www.doitinadress.com/chef-it-in-a-dress and watch social on October 11 for gratuitous upper calf action.

More delicious (or not, depending how you feel about knees) Camp Quality's Off the Menu charity dinner is this Thursday at South Wharf, featuring Darren Purchese of Burch & Purchese, Coda's Adam D'Sylva and Ryan Clift from Singapore's Tippling Club. Tickets are $220 for six courses, all based on a memory from each chef, matched wines and the knowledge you're supporting kids battling cancer. A few seats are still available via www.campquality.org.au.