PUTNEY — More of our neighbors than ever are in need of food and basic necessities. That's why more than a dozen area restaurants and caterers are coming together during one of their busiest seasons to donate delicious, fresh ingredients and their soup-making talents to the seventh annual Empty Bowls Dinner. Sponsored by Brattleboro Clayworks and Landmark College, the event benefits the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, a day shelter providing an emergency food shelf, overnight shelter, and other support services.
For restaurant owners and staff, helping to feed others is a natural fit and a way to give back to the community that supports them.
Chef Chris Mattson of Fireworks restaurant in Brattleboro agrees. “Fireworks believes that this is just a small part of our responsibility to the community to help feed the hungry.”
The Putney Inn's Randi Ziter says, “I feel very strongly that community is about neighbors helping neighbors”.
This year's Empty Bowls dinner will take place on Saturday, Oct. 9, with two seatings at 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. in the dining hall at Landmark College in Putney.
For a $20 donation, guests will choose a unique handcrafted bowl made by dozens of professional potters and pottery students in the area. A simple, nutritious meal of soup, bread, cheese, apples, beverage and dessert will be served accompanied by live music. Afterwards, participants are invited to keep the bowl they have chosen as a reminder that while they may have enough to eat, there are many who go hungry each day in our community and throughout the world.
All proceeds are donated to the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center.
“We know how important the Brattleboro Area Drop in Center is to our community,” says Tracey John, catering manager of the Vermont Country Deli. “Making soup to share with local people willing to donate their money and time to such a great cause is our pleasure.” And after all, says Alici's owner and chef Musa Alici, “Someday I may end up with an empty bowl, and I hope someone will be there to help me.”
Hunger is on the rise in Vermont and the Drop-in Center is one of Windham County's primary safety nets. According to the The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, 1 in 6 Vermont children and more than 1 in 8 Vermont households are food insecure. Locally, the need is certainly evident: Windham County saw a 43 percent increase in 3SqauresVT (the Food Stamp program) participation over last year.
This past winter alone, 9,395 people were served by the Drop-in Center's food shelf. The Center's overflow shelter provided 2,822 bed nights of shelter as well as 5644 hot meals to individuals, the working poor, young people who have aged out of the foster care system, and families with young children. These numbers represent an alarming increase of 31 percent over the previous winter.
The Empty Bowls Dinner is the single largest fundraiser for the Drop-In Center. For reservations, call 800-852-4286, ext. 108. You may also donate directly to the Drop-in Center; for information go to brattleborodropin.org.