AIDS Benefit Foundation hosting dessert gala

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina organization is putting a little sweetness into the fight against AIDS and HIV.

The AIDS Benefit Foundation of South Carolina is holding its Dining with Friends Annual Dessert Finale on Saturday at the Zone at Williams Brice Stadium.

Hosts from around the Columbia area have been holding wine tastings, cookouts and dinner parties in their homes to raise money for the foundation. On Saturday, they gather for a gala event featuring desserts from restaurants around Columbia as well as live entertainment and a silent auction.

The AIDS Benefit Foundation says South Carolina ranks 9th in the nation in new cases of HIV and AIDS. In South Carolina, one in five new HIV and AIDS cases is among people ages 25 and younger.