Empty Bowls raises over $44,000

Empty Bowls was created in 1990 by Lisa Blackburn and John Hartom. Hartom was an art teacher at a school that was hosting a food drive. They told the kids to bring long-lasting food and $1 each to buy a turkey. The food drive wasn’t doing too well,  so Blackburn and Hartom had the idea to ask the students to make bowls and the chefs to make soup. They invited people around the community to bring a five dollar donation to the food drive and have some soup. 

Alyson Walker, a marketing and communications coordinator at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, said her favorite part of Empty Bowls is “the NEIFB dessert auction where NEIFB auctioned off pies, cakes, and cheesecakes.”

When the event was halfway done, Blackburn and Hartom got the idea to let the people take their bowls home with them. That night, during dinner, they decided to call it Empty Bowls representing the bowls that were empty at the end of the night. They had helped to fill the empty bowls in their neighborhood.

Walker said, “This was my first year attending Empty Bowls.”

People come together with family and neighbors to talk while eating bread and soup. After they got to leave with a souvenir, a bowl that the Hearst Center, professional artists, schools and people made for fun. 

Walker hasn’t made a bowl before, but if she were she would “probably use multiple colors to make it really pop.”
All the money from the Empty Bowls ticket goes toward people getting meals at the Food Bank. If people would like to donate money towards the Food Bank, they can donate during the event.

Walker’s job at the Empty Bowls event was “I helped take pictures and videos, run the slideshow throughout the event, and assist any questions people attending may have had.”

Waterloo Food Bank hosted Empty Bowls at the Bien Venu in Cedar Falls on Friday, March 27. Bien Venu donated soup for the event. For food, there were lots of varieties of desserts and soups. There were Olive Garden breadsticks that sold out soon after people started eating. 

Walker said if she were to make a Bowl for Empty Bowls,“I would probably do something with flowers since the theme was Bloom with Purpose: Growing Young Leaders. Fighting Food Insecurity.”

Walker’s favorite memory of the event was “watching all of the videos and speakers of young leaders about how they want to get involved and how they’re making a difference in the community.”

Before the Food Bank started hosting Empty Bowls, Walker said “It started with the Local UAW 838, and as they were leading it, it grew into a bigger event where we then took over.”

The amount of money the Empty Bowls event fundraised, Walker said, was “Over $44,000, which is a new high for Empty Bowls at NEIFB!”

The Food Bank had a variety of vacations and items. Walker said, “We had 12 live auction items this year. Some included vacation stays in Minneapolis, St. Louis, Nashville and Omaha, while other items included items such as porch sets, tickets to shows and theme parks, and so many more.”

There were lots of choices for the silent auction, Walker said. “We had over 150 silent auction items. Some included gift cards, swag from different companies, and different experiences such as vacation stays, activities, etc.”