Organizers of the 25th annual Empty Bowls event hope to raise $50,000 this year to continue services to food insecure residents of Clark County.
Hosted by Wittenberg University, Empty Bowls offers patrons a beautifully hand-crafted bowl, made by Wittenberg University art students, and a simple meal of soup and bread for $15 donation per person. The event will take place Thursday, March 14, 2019. Empty Bowls is organized through the efforts of a steering committee composed of Wittenberg University Art Department Chair, Scott Dooley, Wittenberg University Student Coordinator, Katlyn Roberts, Mary Alice Neely, Anna Plataniotis, Katie Wade, and Second Harvest Food Bank staff. Soups and breads are donated by local restaurants. Proceeds benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties.
Among this year’s soup sponsors are Coppertop Restaurant, Cecil and Lime, Buckeye Sports Lodge, Los Mariachis, Linardos Villa, Parkhurst,Simply Delicious, and Mela. Little Caesars, CTC- Jaguar Room, O’Charley’s, Red Lobster, and Texas Road House will be providing the bread. Major donors for the 2019 Empty Bowls fundraiser include Dana and Judy King- Northside Veterinary Clinic, Honda of America, Columbia Gas, Rob Baker & Mary Jo Groves, Don Johnson, Assurant,Heidelberg Distributing Company, Wallace & Turner, Insurance, Speedway, Armoloy-Steve & Mary Alice Neely, Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church., Community Health Foundation, Huntington Bank, Kohl’s Department Store, Michael and Ann DuVall, Betsy & James Dean, Dulce & Mitchell Hurst, Antigone and Sam Petroff, VFW Grimes-Kohl Post 1031, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, Rollins Moving & Storage, Inc., The Kroger Company, Richwood Bank, Ohio Masonic Home, Sheehan Brothers Vending Services Inc., State Representative Kyle Koehler, and Villa Springfield Health and Rehabilitation Center.
“Empty Bowls is a wonderful way for Second Harvest Food Bank to bring the community together. The event wouldn’t be possible without the support of local businesses, restaurants, and individuals joining together in raising awareness to end hunger. We are hoping to have a full house to celebrate our 25th Empty Bowls this year. Each year the event gets better. We look forward to seeing you,” said Tyra Jackson, Executive Director Second Harvest Food Bank.
As the only food bank in Clark, Champaign, and Logan Counties, Second Harvest Food Bank distributes over six million pounds of food annually, with over four million pounds going directly to Clark County. Second Harvest Food Bank’s daily operation consists of sourcing and gathering food, sorting and cataloging the food, then warehousing the inventory to be distributed to agency members throughout a three county service area.
Second Harvest Food Bank is a member of Feeding America and the Ohio Association of Foodbanks. Second Harvest Food Bank is responsible for safe handling of all food products adhering to state and federal guidelines including providing member oversight to pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters.
For information or to become a sponsor of this year’s Empty Bowl’s event, please contact Tyra L. Jackson at 937-325-8715 ext. 112 or tjackson@ccswoh.org
About Second Harvest: Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign and Logan Counties, a member of Feeding America, serves the tri-county community by sourcing, collecting, storing and distributing over 6 million pounds of food to 65 non-profit member agencies who feed the hungry directly. Second Harvest is focused on bringing healthy, nutritious food to those in our communities struggling with hunger through innovative programs such as senior food initiatives and mobile pantry distributions.