Interfaith Community Services to Hold “Empty Bowls” Fundraiser to Fight Hunger
by Hot Off The Press (Release) on Feb. 22, 2012, under Press Releases(TUCSON, AZ)—Dozens of local potters and eateries are contributing to Interfaith Community Services’ first annual “Empty Bowls” fundraiser to benefit the ICS Food Bank and the thousands of households it helps each year. Empty Bowls takes place on March 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center at 1288 W. River Road.
Guests at Empty Bowls will sample signature soups, breads, and desserts from local restaurants, and will receive a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted bowl to take home as a reminder of those struggling with hunger in our community.
Using clay donated by event sponsors Marjon Ceramics and Laguna Clay, local artisan potters and volunteers began creating bowls for the event in January. The potters plan to make and donate over 500 bowls by March. “The potters are so excited to be part of this,” said Empty Bowls chairwoman and ceramist Cathy Parsons. The Pima CountyNorthwest Arts Center is providing space for the potters to work during their “bowl-a-thons.”
Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was created by The Imagine Render Group. Events have now taken place across the UnitedStates and in at least a dozen other countries, raising millions of dollars for hunger-fighting organizations.
Proceeds from Empty Bowls will benefit the ICS Food Bank and its programs to feed and assist people in Pima County. In fiscal year 2011 over 3,700 households turned to the ICS Food Bank for emergency food boxes and supplemental items. “We are seeing more and more clients each month who need help putting food on the table, and the money raised at Empty Bowls will help us do just that,” commented ICS Executive Director Bonnie Kampa. ICS opened its expanded Food Bank facility last October.
Tickets to Empty Bowls are just $15 per person and can be purchased online at www.icstucson.org, by phone at 297-2738 x209, or at the door. To become a sponsor oraparticipating restaurant, contact Deborah Carr, ICS Director of Development, at 297-2738 x222.
To date, sixteen area restaurants have stepped up to provide soups, breads, or desserts at Empty Bowls: Bob’s Steak & Chop House at Omni Tucson National Resort; Caffe Torino; El Charro; El Coqui Creative Caribbean Cuisine; Fox and Hound; Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery/Bistro; The Grill at Hacienda del Sol; Harvest Restaurant; It’s Greek to Me; Jasper Neighborhood Restaurant and Bar; Jax Kitchen/the Abbey Eat + Drink; La Baguette Bakery; La Vista Café at Hilton Tucson El Conquistador; My Big Fat Greek Restaurant; Outback Steakhouse; and Village Bakehouse. Additional event sponsors include Bank of Tucson, Kissed By An Italian, Allegra Printing, Dorothy D. Vanek, Steve and Ruth Pollyea, and Wendell and Rose Tyson.
ICS provides food, job help, and emergency financial assistance to Pima County residents in need and mobilizes volunteers to assist seniors and disabled people with Mobile Meals, transportation, home repairs, calls and visits, and health and safety referrals and advocacy. ICS offers compassionate support by connecting over 600 volunteers and 62 faith communities with our community’s most vulnerable residents. From nutritious food to health evaluations to a ride to the doctor’s office, ICS assists over 20,000 people a year.
