Blue skies, high turnout and tasty soup made the Empty Bowls fundraiser Friday a success, organizers said. The annual event, now in its fifth year, was held at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea.
For donating, patrons received a handmade bowl and their choice of dozens of soups cooked by local chefs.
Town officials, religious leaders and hundreds of Palm Beach residents came out to raise money for the Palm Beach County Food Bank. The food bank helps feed 100,000 county Palm Beach residents and distributes more than 5 million pounds of food per year.
The day was busy with people comparing bowls, catching up with friends, and going back for second helpings of soup.
“It’s really fantastic,” said Perry Borman, executive director of the food bank.. Empty Bowls raised $70,000 last year and the goal this year is to raise more, but Borman stressed how the “intangible, more helpful,” awareness and community coordination is what really makes the difference in helping feed the hungry in Palm Beach County.
More than 2,000 bowls were donated for the charity event, according to Nick Kindred, who sits on the Empty Bowls committee. Lighthouse for the Blind and Children from the Lighthouse Art Center crafted some of the bowls, along with hundreds of donations from Outlaw Pottery.
“People enjoy participating in this,” said Town Manager Tom Bradford, while he sat at a table with residents between his shifts serving soup. “They like the social aspect.”
First-time attendee Elizabeth Feagans agreed.
“This is one of those events where everything goes to charity and you have fun,” Feagans said. She gave her wild mushroom barley soup a rave review.
“Every year it gets better,” said resident Etonella Christlieb, who was serving soup. “We’re all equal. It’s a joint effort.”
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