Empty Bowls could use an extra helping of new volunteers if it is to continue.
The fundraiser, launched 21 years ago to raise money for area food banks and other nonprofits, will not be held in February as it has been the past several years, according to the event’s steering committee.
“The current team, for various personal reasons, is stepping aside and would like to see the community engaged in an effort to find a more permanent leadership location for Empty Bowls,” said Sarah Grey, a steering committee member.
Organizers — cooks of soups, chilis, breads, and desserts, artists making homemade bowls, a small army of behind-the-scenes volunteers, students, musicians and others — made the event happen. Last year’s gathering raised more than $18,000 for pantries at Love Chapel, Horizon House homeless shelter, Community Center of Hope, Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, and Thrive Alliance.
Through the years, Empty Bowls has raised more than $200,000, according to organizers. Local artist Robert Pulley launched the event, a spinoff of a national push to fight hunger, via Columbus Peace Fellowship. Some years, such as in 2011, more than 1,000 people have attended.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
