Empty Bowls’ soup and bread luncheon fundraiser is back in-person for the first time in four years.
If you’ve been missing the warmth of hearty soups from local restaurants, the uniqueness of taking home a hand-crafted bowl, the feeling of giving back, and the experience of community all in one event, your wait is over: Empty Bowls Monongalia’s Soup & Bread Luncheon is back.
“This year, it’s very exciting for us to be able to get back to that traditional format where we are all in-person,” says Interim Executive Director Jessie Baker, “and we’re sharing the experience of being able to fight food insecurity together.” A Marion County native, Baker has been with Empty Bowls for the past four years, fighting food insecurity in Monongalia County.
A five-time Best of Morgantown Best Fundraising Event—even during years when it didn’t take place—the event is a testament to how a community can come together, run by volunteers and supplied with an abundance of hand-crafted bowls donated from The WOW! Factory, Morgantown Board of Parks and Recreation, West Virginia University Ceramics, and many local potters. Some potters have been making bowls for the luncheon for over 10 years and keep coming back. From special glazes and firing of West Virginia University Ceramics’ bowls to unique styles painted by community members, service organizations, church groups, and sports teams, no two bowls are the same. “I mean it,” says Baker, “really there’s just no limit to the different kinds of bowls that you’re going to be able to see.”
A $20 donation gets you in the door to pick out your perfect bowl and enjoy a variety of soups in meat and vegetarian options with bread, plus cookie samples from local restaurants. While you’re enjoying a meal with your neighbors, make sure to check out the raffle options from local businesses, including a quilt from Country Roads Quilt Shop, to take home in addition to your new bowl. All proceeds go towards fighting the food insecurity that is experienced by around 16,000 individuals in Monongalia County. “We’re really, really just looking forward to seeing everybody and getting people back together,” Baker says, “and just being aware and thoughtful about our food-insecure neighbors and how we can help them.”
This year’s luncheon takes place February 24 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.at the Hazel and J.W. Ruby Community Center in Mylan Park. You can buy tickets ahead of time at the Empty Bowls website or at the door on the day of the event.
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