South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Empty Bowls thankful for support, looks forward to next drive-thru
Community leaders and local celebrities tied on their aprons to serve up socially-distanced soup to go for a drive-thru edition of the fifth annual Empty Bowls Delray Beach on Dec. 5 at Trinity Lutheran Church & School.
The fundraiser for the Palm Beach County Food Bank is part of a national grassroots event that raises money for hunger relief with its motto: “Eat simply, so others can simply eat.”
To align with COVID-19 safety precautions, instead of sitting down for a warm bowl of soup and bread together, supporters picked up their meals from their vehicles. The bread was provided by Old School Bakery along with soups donated by 30 chefs, including Artistic Artichoke, Henry’s Restaurant, New York Grilled Cheese, Luna Rosa, Over The Bridge Café, Bedner’s Farm Fresh Markets, Woodfield Country Club, Silver Sac Catering, Chez Gourmet, Riggins Crabhouse, Tramonti and Space of Mind.
Serving up the meals were Margaret and Dr. Robert Blume, Ernest Deblasi, Stephanie Dodge, Carol Eaton, Marla and Steve Garchik, Jim Greco, Pam and Chuck Halberg, Shelly and Billy Himmelrich, Barbara James and Mark Larkin, Julia and Jeff Kadel, Bill Kramer, Marti LaTour and George Elmore, Cordella and Rick Miessau, Jacqui Moroco, Tim Quinn, Laura Reiss, Matt Shipley, Kimberly Still, Diana and Bob Stone, Jamie Wagner and Kelly and Wyn Yelin.
Delray Beach residents Stephanie Dodge
and John Brewer served as event chairwoman and honorary chairman, respectively.
“The Palm Beach County Food Bank is currently processing an average of 1.5 million pounds of food a month, which is almost triple what we were distributing prior to COVID-19,” Dodge said in a statement. “Now more than ever we need the public’s generosity to keep the momentum going strong. For the last five years, Empty Bowls Delray Beach has helped us raise money and awareness for hunger right here in our own backyard. Although this year’s event looked a little different, we appreciate and thank the community for their unwavering support.”
The next Empty Bowls event is another drive-thru planned for Friday, Feb. 26, at The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach.
Visit pbcfoodbank.org or call 561-6702518, ext.309.