Food, Fun and Charity: Empty Bowls Project 2019

A large crowd once again turned out Saturday for the Empty Bowls Project - in spite of the weather and a brief power outage - to have a hearty meal and help feed those who are in need.

From 11:30 am until 2:00 pm, anyone could buy a ticket and pick out a handmade bowl that was theirs to keep. Approximately twenty vendors, including local and franchised restaurants, caterers and venues, were there to provide food to fill the empty bowls, and each ticket holder was entitled to ten visits to any combination of vendors. They provided soups, salads, pizza, bread, custom dishes and desserts.

An outage in the area of the Julian Carroll Convention Center created gasps, but the crowd quickly adapted to the more "romantic" lighting, and were serenaded by some impromptu singing by vocal groups in attendance. When the power came back on, the crowd cheered and went back to eating. 

Over 1,500 bowls were thrown, glazed and fired by volunteers leading up to the event, and many more helped Saturday by assisting those waiting in line or choosing bowls, or by serving drinks and helping anywhere that was needed. 

Guests could vote with their wallets by tipping their favorite vendor, and a people's choice award was to be awarded at the end of the day.

Proceeds from the meal, the people's choice voting and a silent auction all benefit the Community Kitchen, which provides more than 70,000 meals and other needed services each year to the city's most vulnerable people. 

Financial results from the meal are usually shared within a few days of the event.