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| Empty Bowls Fundraiser - photo collage courtesy of the Columbia Pacific Food Bank. |
The Columbia Pacific Food Bank, located in St. Helen's Oregon, is the regional food bank that distributes an average of 16 tons of food per week and valuable resources to 38 food pantries, meal programs and produce distribution points throughout Columbia County, Oregon to combat food insecurity. To reduce food waste they participate in a gleaner program that harvests surplus produce from local farmers, gardeners, and orchardists. HOPE (Help Our People Eat) Food Pantry is the one in our hometown of Rainier Oregon that they distribute to. They also provide for Meals on Wheels (MOW) for homebound seniors in our area. Empty Bowls is one of the fundraisers for this wonderful organization.
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| Empty Bowls Menu |
Empty Bowls is the creation of a high school teacher and their students in 1990 in Michigan who came up with an idea to make ceramic bowls to for a fundraising meal to support a food drive. The guests were given a meal of soup and bread and a ceramic bowl to take home to remind them of the hunger in the world. Since then, the Empty Bowls tradition has been held throughout the world to raise awareness and money for hunger.
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| Some of the yummy soup and the bread that was offered. |
The Empty Bowls event in Columbia County was held at McBride Elementary School on April 12th, 2024 from 5-7pm. There is a small ticket fee of $15 per person to get in. It is well worth that because you are donating to a great cause, get fed yummy soup and bread donated by local restaurants and businesses, get to listen to music by The Decades band, and get a lovely keepsake handmade bowl to take home by local artist, Pat Brame. Pat freely makes 300 unique pottery bowls for every Empty Bowls event in Columbia County.
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| My friend, Erin, and I with our bowls. |
This was my third time participating. The first time was during COVID so I didn't get to actually go to the event, but I still got a lovely bowl that I got to pick out online and they gave us a homemade shelf-stable soup mix to go in it instead, which was also wonderful. The second time I went with my husband and the third time was with my husband and my good friend, Erin, and her daughter, Melody. I love participating and giving back to my community and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. I cannot wait to participate next year.
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