Empty Bowls a Filling Success
More than 650 patrons “souped up” for a good cause at annual charity dinner on the campus of VWC
By Leona Baker | March 15, 2011
A record number of giving souls came out for the 13th Annual Empty Bowls Charity Dinner held on the campus Virginia Wesleyan College on March 11, 2011. More than 650 attendees enjoyed freshly prepared soups, bread and dessert at the popular fundraiser sponsored by the Ceramic Designers Association.
Funds from ticket sales, bowls, silent auction items and donations go directly to various local charities that provide food for those in need, including the Help & Emergency Response Shelter (H.E.R.), Oasis Social Ministry, the Judeo Christian Outreach Center, the Union Mission and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. Though final totals won’t be available for a couple of weeks, an initial count of tickets sold and receipts from other items indicates that those totals will likely meet or exceed the $20,000 fundraising goal for this year.
About 90 volunteers including many VWC students, faculty and staff helped make the event run smoothly. In addition to the meal, patrons were allowed to choose from more than 1,000 handcrafted bowls created by local artists to take home. They also enjoyed live entertainment and demonstrations including one by Virginia Wesleyan art professor Philip Guilfoyle, who showed off his skills on the potter’s wheel.
The Empty Bowls Charity Dinner was recently featured on WVEC 13 News.