They came, they ate, they danced and they raised thousands of dollars to help fight hunger.
People packed the house at the Empty Bowls fundraiser on Saturday at the Ballard Community Center.
Most of the bowls were a suggested donation of $10 while some bowls that were designed by professional artists were auctioned off at higher prices. Once the bowls were in hand, Ballard Market provided soup and Tall Grass Bakery provided the bread for dinner.
Although the specific dollar amount hasn’t been tallied, organizers tell us they raised more than $10,000 for the Ballard Food Bank and the Seattle Animal Shelter. Empty Bowls is an international effort to fight hunger, executed at the community level. (Thanks Silver for the photos!)
Empty Bowls raises thousands for charity
So happy to see a fundraiser for local needs! Kudos!
That last photo is of kids dancing to a duo called “Give it to me Rusty” who writes their songs in collaboration with homeless people.
Several small ones danced and jumped up and down to the various musical groups. It was delightful!
Good soup, by the way!!
Brilliant fundraiser idea! So well tied to the mission of the organization & the specific objectives of the event. Nice work, folks!
Looks like a great time was had by all. I just love this unique fundraiser idea ! I hope to attend next year.
Fantastic job everyone! :-)
Note to Swedes: When I popped in earlier to try and comment I got the blocked message and was unable to comment (blocked before I even had a chance to comment once). It's been happening just this past couple of days. Is this a glitch?
NoraBell – we've received a few emails about this in the past week. We think it's a glitch and are looking into the cause. ~Kate
Thanks, Geeky Ones! :-)
Very heartwarming for me to read about your Empty Bowls fundraiser. It is wonderful to see that an idea started many years ago by an art teacher in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan is being used successfully here in Washington. Congratulations on your efforts.
Silver, if you took the last picture of those adorable kids, I must've been unknowingly been sitting right next to you! I was with a friend and her kid :)
Thanks EVERYONE for your support!
It took us a YEAR to make and paint all those bowls.
We will be having painting parties all year round for the 2011 event.
When we started last year, the man who began the national organization sent us a small scrap of clay from their first event in 1990. I mixed it in OUR first batch of clay! (And yes, set aside some for this year and so on)
BTW-the smallest child dancing in the photos was also our youngest bowl painter! She helped raise over $30 using her special flair for color.
Fan us on Facebook to keep up to date on bowl making/painting events.
Thanks, Andrea, for all your hard work. I've become a fan on facebook!
I was the Silver-haired woman wearing a black t-shirt, sitting next to the musicians, periodically adjusting microphone stands and sound levels.
I had a great time watching the kids dancing. Thanks for the entertainment!