Empty Bowl fundraiser held for local food pantries

The second annual Empty Bowls fundraiser was held last weekend to raise money for three local food pantries — Bags of Hope/MLK Pantry, St. Mary’s Pantry and the Long Beach INN Soup Kitchen.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger. Potters and other craftspeople work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to eat a simple meal. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to an organization working to end hunger and food insecurity.

This is the second year that organizers Michelle Kelly and Debora Staiano put on the event. Kelly said that the event raised $3,000 this year, which will be split between the three pantries.

All through February, Kelly, owner of Earth Arts, said that people could paint bowls at the pottery shop. Then, last Saturday, people came to the fundraiser — a pasta dinner at St. Mary’s of the Isle — and put their decorated bowl to use. Every bowl donated $5 to the cause, and the $10 entry fee for the dinner was also donated entirely to the food pantries.

The family-friendly event had plenty of activities for kids, from face painting to coloring. RVC Lanes donated carpet bowling lanes for kids to play with. A handful of Long Beach restaurants donated food to the event, including Currywurst, Pt. Lookout Deli, Jayse Catering, Max Bialystock & Co., John Henry’s American Pub and Panera Bread. But Kelly said that some of the over 100 people who came to enjoy the event brought trays of pasta with them as well.