Steaming bowls of soup and more at Empty Bowls

A big bowl for a little girl. There are bowls of all sizes, shapes and colors made by community members at the Empty Bowls event. Don’t miss this great fundraiser for the Cook County Food Shelf on Thursday, November 8.

Every month over 100 families in our community experience hunger. For this reason, annually, the Grand Marais Art Colony organizes the Empty Bowls Dinner and Silent Auction, an art-full fundraiser for the Food Shelf. The community is invited to Empty Bowls at the First Congregational Church at 300 West 2nd Street on Thursday, November 8.

For a suggested donation of $10 per person, participants will be able to enjoy a delicious mean and take home a handcrafted bowl.

There are two seatings—lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and dinner from 5 – 7 p.m. With 18 local restaurants and businesses donating 50 gallons of homemade soups with all the fixings, homemade bread, juice, butter and coffee it is assured to be a delicious event. Among the choices are Chicken Wild Rice, Fish Chowder, various stews and chilies, exotic vegetarian/gluten free soups and more—a little something for everyone!

Over 500 ceramic bowls have been made by potters, community members and youths. The beautiful bowls will be filled with delicious soup made by local restaurants. Bowls will be refreshed every hour so all attendees will be able to choose a wonderfully unique bowl.

The silent auction with an amazing array of items, including many great gift cards to local businesses and some particularly lovely bowls, will run from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. sharp.

Organizers are looking for a few more volunteers to help with the event on Wed, Nov. 7 between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. for set-up and Thursday, Nov. 8 between 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

In 2011, Empty Bowls raised $6,200 which covers about two months of food shelf operating costs. As food prices continue to fluctuate and the need increases, this event continues to be an important part of the food shelf ’s sustainability.

For more details about the Empty Bowls event visit: www.grandmaraisartcolony.org or contact the Grand Marais Art Colony at (218) 387-2737 or by e-mail to arts@boreal.org.