Milwaukee Empty Bowls All Grown Up! Organization Celebrates 18 Years Raising Funds for Local Hunger Relief on Oct. 9

Milwaukee Empty Bowls All Grown Up! Organization Celebrates 18 Years Raising Funds for Local Hunger Relief on Oct. 9

Milwaukee Empty Bowls is excited to hold its 18th annual fundraiser on Sunday, October 9, 2016 from 11am to 2pm at the Kern Center on the Milwaukee School of Engineering campus.

This 100 percent volunteer-driven effort brings our community together to enjoy the work of area artists, restaurants and entertainers. Proceeds benefit Milwaukee area programs working to address food insecurity. The 18th annual fundraiser will build on 2015’s efforts where nearly 2,000 people were served and $55,000 raised in support of local food programs.

Guests at the October event choose a bowl handcrafted and donated by local artists, businesses and schools. Every $25 bowl purchase includes two soup tickets (additional soup tickets – $2 each) good for a choice of homemade soups served by more than 30 local restaurants and fresh baked bread, including gluten-free. $10 bowls handcrafted by children are available for families or persons on a budget.

Attendees have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets with prizes ranging from local restaurant gift certificates to a one-night hotel stay to an Italian cooking class voucher. Beverages, Milwaukee Empty Bowls t-shirts and sweatshirts, and (new this year) bowl-themed items crafted and donated by West Suburban Quilter’s Guild are also available.

Local musicians perform at the following times:

• 11am: Fellowship of the Strings – a group of eight young string musicians from Wauwatosa West High School who play everything from “Palladio” and the Beer Barrel Polka to music from the Fellowship of the Rings.
• 12pm: Laura Peterson – singer-songwriter from the Milwaukee area with a sound similar to that of Jewel, Brandi Carlile, and KT Tunstall.
• 1pm: Sophia’s Heart – Danny Gokey, American Idol and BMG Recording Artist, founded Sophia’s Heart in 2008 to memorialize the life of his late wife to help mend and heal the hearts of children and families who have been touched by poverty, sickness, disease, broken families and broken dreams. Sophia’s Heart aims to use music and the arts to reach out and touch the hearts of children up to 18 years of age, as well as reach out to the homeless in our community.

Since 1999, Milwaukee Empty Bowls has donated $637,630 to help feed those in need in the Milwaukee area. More than 95% of the funds raised during this perennially popular event – held around World Food Day – go directly to aid the hungry in our community.

With the involvement and support of the MSOE, local businesses and nearly 300 volunteers, proceeds from this year’s event benefit seven agencies in the Milwaukee area: Central City Churches, The Gathering, Fondy Food Center, Milwaukee Christian Center, Milwaukee Rescue Mission, Repairers of the Breach, and Tippecanoe Church.

“Join us for this amazing event and choose your own locally handcrafted bowl,” says April Klinter, president of Milwaukee Empty Bowls. “Try soup from some incredible Milwaukee area restaurants and then go home knowing you just helped fight hunger issues in your own community! Together we really can make a difference.”

Since Milwaukee Empty Bowls’ inception in 1999, more than 27,000 bowls have been purchased. Guests take their bowls home to serve as a reminder that there are always empty bowls in our community.

Milwaukee Empty Bowls engages the community through ceramic and culinary arts to raise hunger awareness and provide resources to local agencies addressing food insecurity. For more information, please visit www.milwaukeeemptybowls.org or the Milwaukee Empty Bowls Facebook Event page.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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