Raising Funds to Fight Empty Bowls: Fundraiser for the Columbia Pacific Food Bank

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.

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.

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.

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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Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver Book Review

My family had the privilege of trying the Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer from Peggy Consolver - Author for this review to use in conjunction with our own homeschool Bible study curriculum. This is a Homeschool Review Crew Review. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family. Affiliate links may be in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

Peggy Consolver is the author to Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer. She was wanting to write about the Gibeonites of Joshua 9 and 10 from the Bible. In 2010 she received the fantastic opportunity to go to the city of Khiret el-Maqatir, Israel on an 18 day archaeological excavation with a team of archeologists from Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) and people like herself who volunteered to become amateur archeologists. This city meets the most criteria for being the Biblical city Ai from the Old Testament. She learned a lot on her trip there and what she experienced there brought her story to life. Here is a little more about her trip in her words.

Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer is a story that takes place in Gibeon, a Canaanite city north of Jerusalem. This story is told through the eyes of a thirteen year old Canaanite shepherd boy named Keshub as he: braves predators that want to harm his flock, learns the skills of a warrior, deals with the persecution from bullying and sibling rivalry, and proves himself among his older brothers. A shepherd and a potter's son, he wishes he could travel and see the world full of adventure like the caravanners that stop and tell of things beyond his small valley. Keshub has to make some crucial decisions on what to do, who to help, and what he actually believes. These decisions shape his life and who he becomes. This book follows Joshua's biblical story of the Hebrew/Israelite invasion and conquest of Canaan from the totally new perspective and point of view of the Gibeonites who by deception and trickery survive the attack.

Book, scripture, and bookmark.

How We Used This and Our Thoughts:

I am not as well versed in the Bible as I would like to be and this story, even though not new to me, was needing a refresher. So, I was grateful that the bookmark which came with my copy of the book and the back of the cover of the book gave reference to the particular scriptures and verses in the Bible that I needed to re-read for background. The parts I remembered of the story was Joshua leading the Israelite people to the Promised Land/Canaan while eating manna in the desert along the way and the Battle of Jericho where the wall came down with the sound of trumpets from the army. I didn't remember the story of the Gibeonites very well and so I am glad I read Joshua 9 and 10 before reading Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver.

There are some neat extras to go along with this book. At the end there is a letter from the author to readers about digging deeper and learning more and some discussion questions for small groups. There is also a Study Guide webpage of extras, including: links of things to read, videos to watch, and maps to look at. I loved learning about bow making and Israeli Mammals. The more in depth 48 page Study Guide, Digging Deeper into HIStory, is also available online to purchase separately. A small glimpse of it is available to download free from the webpage as well.

I enjoyed reading the book and it definitely opened my eyes to what it may have been like for the Gibeonites. The main character, Keshub, was very interesting to read about and learn of his way of life, family, friends, and things he learned along the way while growing in his faith and becoming a man.  I loved the imagery of the text. My mind's eye was flooded with what it might have looked like. This book has historical and scriptural fact, supported by archeological evidence & research integrated with artistic vision and ingenuity that breathes life into the text. It takes you on a great adventure back in time and builds your understanding of Bible history and geography. I highly recommend this book!

BUY IT
Shepherd, Potter, Spy--and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver Book is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Mardel’s Christian Bookstores, and “Wherever fine books are sold!” Amazon.com has it at $10.14 for the paperback and $2.99 for Kindle.
The Study Guide, Digging Deeper into HIStory, is available on Amazon.com for $12.99 for the paperback and $2.99 for Kindle.

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Emerson Creek Pottery Artisan Bakeware Review

All Emerson Creek Pottery is Eco-Friendly: Made in the USA, Non-Toxic, Lead-Free, Made by Humans, Made of Natural and Earth-Friendly Materials, Packed in Eco-Friendly Cornstarch Peanuts, Shipped in Recycled-Fiber Boxes, and they Never Mass-Mail their Catalogs! Their pottery is safe for daily use, serving, baking, storing, dishwasher use, microwave use and oven use. Their pottery is completely and lovingly crafted, handmade and hand-painted using non-toxic, natural materials, right here in the USA in Virginia since 1977. Read more about their non-toxic, eco-friendly pottery here.

Emerson Creek Pottery Artisan Bakeware is one-of-a-kind among their entire pottery catalog because, unlike their other lines of handcrafted ceramics, these pieces are unglazed. Unglazed ceramic pottery is perfect for your best professional-quality baking. These pieces are hand-painted with a beautiful creeping thyme pattern. Their complete line of handcrafted artisan bakeware pieces include their: unglazed oval baking dish, unglazed loaf pans, unglazed pie plates, and unglazed bread pots. Their unglazed pottery is priced well below many import ceramics!

When you just want to bake a small loaf of scrumptious artisan-quality bread, give Their small unglazed loaf pan a try! This is a simple, less expensive ceramic bread loaf pan that bakes up beautiful homemade breads. It makes a beautiful showpiece for your collection and is 3" x 5" x 3". You can purchase it at $11.00 online.

I received one of these small unglazed loaf pans for free from Emerson Creek Pottery and I had trouble finding a recipe I could use it for because of the very small size. I, however; love the beautiful scalloped edges and simple painted design. It is lovely and if I ever do find a recipe to use this loaf pan for I will not hesitate to show you all how I used it. I have used unglazed pans before and I love them! Just remember you'll get best results from your unglazed bakeware if you lightly grease it before each use with olive oil.

Like their small loaf pans? See their full line of small ceramic loaf pans for even more variety to choose from!

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.