The annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for children facing hunger in the Ozarks is Thursday, October 3.
Ozarks Food Harvest hosts the event each year at Panera Bread, 4100 S. Campbell in Springfield.
Those who attend can make a donation to receive a handcrafted wood, ceramic or stone bowl, and all proceeds go to the food bank’s Weekend Backpack Program. That program provides food to thousands of kids facing hunger in 60 schools in 15 southwest Missouri counties every weekend throughout the school year.
Jordan Brown said kids are sent home with shelf stable food so they don’t go hungry on Saturday and Sunday. It’s an important program, but it’s an expensive one, he said, "because we make sure that all of the items that go in there (the backpack) are nutritionally sound and making sure that it's covering all of those bases as far as fruit and vegetable intake and whole grain intake."
More than 140 bowls have already been sold in an online auction, but Browning said there will be more than 130 more available at the Empty Bowls fundraiser that haven’t been shown online.
The Woodturners of Southwest Missouri, a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners, have been creating and donating bowls for the event since 2014. They donated two wooden tables for the fundraiser this year, as well.
Empty Bowls starts at 3 Thursday afternoon and goes through 7 in the evening. Those who purchase a bowl will receive a coupon for a free meal of soup and bread, courtesy of Panera.
Browning said, as of Wednesday afternoon, they were at about 60% of their fundraising goal for the Weekend Backpack program. He hopes the Empty Bowls fundraiser will provide the rest of the money they need to continue helping the children they are currently serving.
