Community Members Fill Empty Bowls
Last updated Friday, November 14, 2008 10:29 PM CST in Our Town
By Sara Sullivan
THE MORNING NEWS
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FAYETTEVILLE — Occasional cool sprinkles of rain fell from the open roof of the garden room as glowing orange space heaters lowly hissed warmth toward the people gathered below.
At one tall table, a young girl sat with her mother and grandmother as they all leaned over an array of small soup bowls. Tuesday night was the family’s first time to attend Empty Bowls, a fundraiser to benefit the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.
“I think it’s really cool,” said 8-year-old Molly Dean. “I like being able to help poor people.”
To raise money to fight hunger, Empty Bowls events are held throughout the globe, pairing a simple soup dinner with the keepsake of a hand-made ceramic bowl to serve as a reminder of all the empty bowls belonging to the hungry.
For Northwest Arkansas’ third annual event, sponsored by Flat Rock Clay Supplies and the Boston Mountain Potters Association, artists and community members donated more than 500 bowls for patrons to take home.
Inside George’s Majestic Lounge, the band Shack strummed away on acoustic guitars as patrons carefully moved down a line, collecting small, biodegradable bowls of donated soups like potato cheese kielbasa from A Fare To Remember, shrimp gumbo from Powerhouse Seafood & Grill and organic shiitake cream from Greenhouse Grille. A table of plump rolls from Panera Bread and lemon, chocolate-caramel and pecan dessert bars from Sara Lee rounded out the meal.
“I really didn’t expect to get this much food,” said Molly’s mom, Amy Locke, as they sampled from the bowls at their table. “I mean, I almost feel really bad because of what this event is for.”
“One thing that we’re trying to do now is just create awareness” to let people know that there are local residents without enough to eat, said Judy Hammond, office manager for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. “There are over 100,000 people a day in our four-county area that experience hunger in some manner,” she said.
But the approximately 450 people attending the Empty Bowls fundraiser were contributing to efforts to prevent that.
With ticket sales, sponsorships and the silent auction, the event raised $12,400 — more than doubling last year’s take.
“People are more willing to donate this time of year because it’s the holidays,” Hammond said, but she noted that the need is there year-round. “It doesn’t stop after Christmas or Thanksgiving.”
The food bank serves more than 100 member agencies in Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties, and for every dollar donated, it can provide five meals, Hammond said. So with the money raised at Tuesday’s Empty Bowls, “that’s 62,000 meals.”
“The people of Northwest Arkansas are so generous,” she said as she got choked up.
A white cord of lights meandered among a giant platter decorated with a strutting peacock, a plain white wide-rimmed bowl signed by Willie Nelson, a doggie dish rimmed in 14-karat gold and dozens of other donated creations on the silent auction tables. Nearby, bowl-throwing demonstrations on a potter’s wheel mesmerized couples, groups of friends and families with young children.
It’s important for kids to attend events like Empty Bowls, said Lynda Schulte, Molly’s grandmother. “They need to grow up learning ... that there are always people in need and that we have a responsibility to that.”
Plus, fundraisers can be a lot of fun.
Cafe Rue Orleans took first place for best soup for the second year in a row with its butternut squash and lump crab bisque. Second place was awarded to the Little Bread Company for its pumpkin bisque, which was Schulte’s favorite.
Locke and Molly both preferred the cheesy potato soup, they said. And, of course, the dessert bars.
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