South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Empty Bowls fundraiser returns to support Palm Beach County Food Bank
Ladles in hand, celebrity servers from the community dished out steamy bowls of soup cooked up by local chefs — navy bean and ham, French onion, tomato basil, New England clam chowder and cream of artichoke — all for hundreds of supporters of the Palm Beach County Food Bank.
The seventh annual Empty Bowls event returned to Trinity Lutheran Church & School in Delray Beach as part of the national grassroots event that raises money for hunger relief with its motto: “Eat simply, so others can simply eat.”
For $30, supporters received unlimited samplings of soup, a cup of soup of their choice, a cookie, bottled water and a ceramic bowl or mug.
Returning event chairpersons were Stephanie Dodge and Billy Himmelrich, and honorary chairpersons were Ali Kaufman and John Brewer this year.
The bowls are meant to symbolize the issue of food insecurity in Palm Beach County, where 1 in 6 residents is struggling to put meals on the table, according to the Palm Beach County Food Bank, which receives food from farms, grocery stores, food distributors and wholesalers, among others, to give to its community partners for distribution to families and seniors.
“Last fiscal year, we provided 9.5 million meals to the community, equal to 11.4 million pounds of food. Today, Empty Bowls Delray Beach is a day of hope and encouragement as we tackle the nutritional needs of our region together,” Palm Beach County Food Bank CEO Jamie Kendall said in a statement.
This year’s participating restaurants included Abe & Louie’s, Artistic Artichoke, Avalon Steak House, Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market, Burt & Max’s, Caffe Luna Rosa, the Colony Hotel, Deck 84, Delray Sands Resort, Elks Club Delray Lodge #1770, Farm to Table, LongHorn Steakhouse, Lucille’s Bad to the Bone BBQ, Max’s Grille, Mussel Beach, Over the Bridge, Prime Catch Café, Riggins Crabhouse, Sandwich Man Too, Silver Sac Catering, Space of Mind, Tramonti, V & S Deli, Wine Room Kitchen & Bar and Woodfield Country Club.
The next Empty Bowls fundraiser will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, 141 S. County Road, in Palm Beach. Visit pbcfoodbank.org/ebpb-online-form to purchase tickets.