The 11th annual Empty Bowls dinner is set for Saturday, Oct. 11, at Landmark College. Now, with this fundraising tradition entering its second decade, organizers took a few moments to look back at how the event has grown and to note what keeps so many hosting and attending the dinner.
In 2003, a small group of potters met at Brattleboro Clayworks to figure out how to launch an Empty Bowls dinner in Southern Vermont. Inspired by a group of high school students in the Midwest who had used the metaphor of an empty bowl to create a fundraiser addressing hunger and poverty, the group set out to solicit donations of ceramic bowls from local potters and area restaurants.
They sold tickets that would allow people to come to a community dinner, select a handcrafted bowl, enjoy a healthy meal - with soup filling their bowls - listen to live music, visit with friends, and take their bowls home: a memento.
Organizers said that dinner was a great success not only for raising vital funds for the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, but also for bringing together people of all ages with a common goal.
On behalf of the Empty Bowls Steering Committee, I want to thank the hundreds of people and organizations that helped us raise over $24,000 for the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center this year at our recent dinner. One of the most exciting things about this event is that there are...