Empty Bowls

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots project to raise funds for local foodshelves. It's modeled from a Michigan event created by two high school art teachers who realized their annual food drive was attracting few donations. They asked their students to make ceramic bowls to be used at a luncheon for the school staff. Every guest chose a bowl, ate a simple meal of donated soup and bread, and made a generous donation to their local foodshelf. Everyone kept their bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in their own community and throughout the world.

The 12th Annual Empty Bowls Event was held at the Hopkins Center for the Arts on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.

People chose from 1,200 bowls created by local artists and students, ate soup and bread donated by local businesses, enjoyed local entertainment, and made generous free will donations.

This year, we asked for assistance in raising $50,000 for the emergency funds of the Intercongregation Communities Association (ICA Foodshelf) and ResourceWest. SUPERVALU challenged local businesses, civic groups, congregations, and community leaders to add to their seed grant to raise over $30,000 in sponsorships before the event to encourage our community to attend the event and make a generous free will donation to reach our total goal of $50,000.                             

Thanks to the continued generousity of the community, the 12th annual event raised $67,000!!!

The 13th Annual Empty Bowls Event will be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

How can you help?

• Invite your family and friends to join you at the Empty Bowls Event on March 15.
• Make a generous free will donation.    
• Make a bowl in a Hopkins Community Education class.
• Volunteer to help during the event.
• Businesses: Become a Challenge to the Community Sponsor. Donate soup, bread, coffee, disposable bowls, cups, spoons, or printing of publicity posters and postcards; advertise the event to customers and employees. If your donation is $250 or more, your logo will be displayed at the event.
• Civic organizations: Become a Challenge to the Community Sponsor. Encourage members to attend and volunteer; use this event as a substitute for your weekly or monthly meeting. If your donation is $250 or more, your logo will be displayed at the event
• Faith congregations: Become a Challenge to the Community Sponsor. Advertise the event; volunteer to help at the event; your choirs and ensembles can entertain. If your donation is $250 or more, your logo will be displayed at the event.
• Local artists: Donate bowls or related artwork for the Celebrity Bowls Silent Auction (call Susan at 952-979-1105); volunteer to work with art students making bowls in our schools.
• Local musicians: Donate your time entertaining during the event.
• Schools: Include hunger issues in the curriculum, bowlmaking in art classes, promotional poster design in art/tech classes. Students and staff can help serve soup or perform at the event.      

The recipe that has filled Empty Bowls in Our Community since 1999:

1575    People attended the event     

148    Sponsors - Challenge, In-kind

1260    Artists and students made ceramic soup bowls

75    Celebrity bowls in the silent auction

269    Volunteers

398    Musicians performed

$53,250     Raised for local foodshelves

Total raised in first 10 years -  $394,078!

 Awards:

• WCCO Good Neighbor Award 2005

• Minnesota FoodShare’s 2005 Most Creative Drive Award

• Minnesota Community Education’s Outstanding Project Award for 2000

• National Community Improvement Projects 2000 Honorable Mention Award

• Minnesota FoodShare’s 2000 Outstanding Community Contribution Award

• City of Hopkins Human Rights Award for 1999

• Minnesota FoodShare’s 1999 Most Creative Drive Award