9th Annual Empty Bowls Event

Thank You for Joining Us to Make 2011's Empty Bowl Event A Big Success On April 17!

A benefit to raise funds for the Fresh Food Partnership to Fight Hunger with Healthful Fresh Food and Support to Farmers throughout the Grand Traverse Region.

Wasn't that a party! There were hundreds from our community who came together at the Hagerty Center to share and enjoy a time of good company, wonderful music and a delicious meal of soup, bread and beverages-all made by our area's finest restaurants, bakeries and beverage producers. Attendees also took home a handmade bowl by one our region's artist or art student as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.

Our goal was to top our successful 2010 Empty Bowls event and that we did! With the help from our generous community, we were able to raise over $20,000 at this year's event. Proceeds from this event will be put to work by the Fresh Food Partnership to buy locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables from area farmers for donation and distibution to individuals and famllies who rely on the emergency food system (food pantries, shelters and community meal programs) in our 5-county region.

Please take some time to view our list of 2011 Empty Bowls Sponsors and supporters. Here you will find a long list of generous artists, other individuals, businesses and organizations who have donated their time, talents and money to make a difference in our community.  

Why is this event so successful?

Because this event encompasses the spirit of community cooperation, generosity and giving. Dozens of our region’s finest restaurants, bakeries, and beverage producers generously donate their time and delicious wares. Artists, students and musicians donate their gifts and talents. Dozens of volunteers give their enthusiasm and hard work to make the event run smoothly. Perhaps most important, hundreds of people join the fun and make contributions to the Fresh Food Partnership. Thanks to all of the generous donations, the gifts of our special event and table sponsors, and the proceeds of a silent auction, the 2011 event was the best ever, raising over $20,000.

Proceeds raised from this event are put to work by the Fresh Food Partnership, a coalition of nonprofit organizations and volunteers working to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables from area farmers for distribution through local food pantries for people in need. In this way, the Fresh Food Partnership fights hunger while supporting local agriculture and reinvesting dollars into the local economy.

About the national Empty Bowls™ program: Empty Bowls™ is an internationally recognized program available for individual communities to sponsor in an effort to raise hunger awareness and to help feed the hungry within their own community. The fundraising concept has a second mission as well, to advocate for arts education and involve students in community service. The Empty Bowls™ concept was created in 1990 by an artist/teacher in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to give artists a way to make a difference in their community. Learn more at http://www.emptybowls.org/.

For more information, please contact the Fresh Food Partnership at coordinator@freshfoodpartnership.org or 231-929-3696.