The Main Event

Please join us October 17th, 2010 from 5:00- 8:00 pm at the Bennington Elks Club. For a $10.00 donation you can choose a beautiful ceramic bowl and sample delicious soups from local resturants. Come early to choose the bowl you really want. We hope to see you there.

Fourth Of July At Willow Park!

Even in the heat, volunteers and bowl makers came up to participate at Willow Park on the Fourth of July. An estimated 180 bowls were made at this event. It is serendipitous that we gathered in a steady flow of crowds of participants on Independence Day, as this endeavor is providing for basic needs for people working toward independence. The Empty Bowls fundraiser is fun a way of bringing food to the hungry in Bennington. Statistics on hunger are staggering. Thank you to everyone who was a wonderful part of helping the Bennington community

Several vehicles were loaded with bowls and they were brought to BPI (Bennington Project Independence) where they will be fired. Clogging and entertainment was enjoyed by all who were there.

A Glazing Party will be held in late summer and everyone will be invited to beautify the bowls. Stop back and look for more information on upcoming events.

4TH OF JULY EVENT

EMPTY BOWLS AGAIN !!!!! 2010

PLEASE JOIN US ON SUNDAY JULY FOURTH

FOR A DAY OF BOWL MAKING

& Free musical entertainment

WE NEED PEOPLE TO MAKE CERAMIC BOWLS

For the 2010 EMPTY BOWLS EVENT which will be held

Sunday October 17th, 2010

PLEASE VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME AND TALENTS

ON SUNDAY JULY 4TH FROM 2:00 - 8:00 PM

AT UPPER WILLOW PARK PAVILLION

EVERYONE IS WELCOME

Events have begun for 2010 Bennington Empty Bowls

On Friday, June 25th, the first bowl making party for 2010 was held at Cora Whitney Retirement Home. Three Boy Scouts from Troop 330 were there to participate with the residents in attendance. They welcomed me with a friendly muddy handshake. This is a liftoff for the upcoming community event on the 4th of July at Willow Park upper pavilion.

Empty Bowls Deepens Awareness of our Interconnectedness.

The Empty Bowls Dinner Sunday night was a spectacular evening with hundreds of attendees, over 100 volunteers and an impressive number of local donors from bowls to soup. This Empty Bowls event was a fundraiser held at Mount Anthony High School, sponsored by the Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Services organization, on October 11th. The excitement in the dining room glistened as brightly as the bowls. Several artists performed on guitar, trumpet and keyboard. The volunteers ranged from students to public officials. There were soup and bread donors and businesses throughout the community who donated goods, services, expertise and good humor.

People understand hunger in a tangible way and the statistics of those hungry in the Greater Bennington area are staggering. In Bennington County alone over 1,400 children under the age of 18 experience hunger and with the current economic crisis has made the current circumstances even more difficult for local families. There was an amazing response from the community with hundreds of attendees.

Sue Andrews, the Executive Director of the Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Services, shared that 17 restaurants donated soup to the event and 6 businesses donated bread. To recognize the list of participants and donors, the organization's blog site has scrolling lists of all who gave of themselves [benningtonemptybowls.blogspot.com]. The concept was simplicity - soup and bread. The proceeds have not all been tabulated as of yet, however, the Bennington Food and Fuel Fund is deeply grateful for the support of their effort to help those families in the greater Bennington area who need assistance.

The Empty Bowls event consisted of bowl making and glazing parties over the past six months, from UCS to each of the faith communities, all culminating with this major fundraising event. Each person was invited to keep a bowl as a reminder of those who are hungry. Several from Saint Peter's Episcopal Church were organizers and many parishioners contributed to the support of this event. Those involved in every part of the process were engaged in the gift of creation and the gift of giving. There was an "Obama-Bowl", a "Patrick Bowl" (from Sponge Bob Square Pants), a flower petal bowl, stars, leaves, a "Foot Bowl", eight long tables of unique bowls all with brilliant colors. Some artists even signed their names on the bottoms of the bowls. Each bowl established a connection between those who created them, those who kept them, and those who will benefit from the assistance made available through the Food and Fuel Fund.

THANK YOU BENNINGTON COMMUNITY!!!

Wow! The Empty Bowls Dinner last night was a spectacular evening with hundreds of attendees, over 100 volunteers and an impressive number of local donors from bowls to soup. There was an "Obama-Bowl", a "Patrick Bowl" (from Sponge Bob Square Pants), a flower petal bowl, stars, leaves, a "Foot Bowl", all with brilliant colors. The excitement in the dining room glistened as brightly as the bowls. Several artists performed on guitar, trumpet and keyboard. The volunteers ranged from students to public officials. There were soup and bread donors and businesses throughout the community who donated goods, services, expertise and good humor.

I invite those who attended to share the your experience at this event with comments. Thank you for responding to the urgent needs of the hungry in your community.

Eyes On a Upcoming Empty Bowls Soup Event on October 11th

With the last of the glazed bowls being fired, the Empty Bowls Planning Committee is focused on OCTOBER 11th! Everyone in the Bennington area is invited to come to this dinner fundraiser from 5 - 8 pm held at the Mount Anthony High School. For $10 you receive a soup and meal and get to take a bowl lovingly decorated by over a hundred volunteers.