Empty Bowls fundraiser will benefit Grace Presbyterian Church's food pantry
Grace Presbyterian Church will host its 17th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, which is designed to raise awareness about food insecurity in the Tuscaloosa community.
The fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. March 26 in the Grace Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 113 Hargrove Road.
More: Grace Presbyterian opens Table of Grace food pantry
Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the church's Table of Grace food pantry, which organizers say helps feed nearly 2,500 people every month.
'Since we opened the new market-style pantry in 2023, we have been so grateful for all of the support we've gotten from the Tuscaloosa community,' said Emily Altman, the executive director of Table of Grace.
'This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we are excited for the ways the support we raise through Empty Bowls will allow Table of Grace to continue in the fight against food insecurity in Tuscaloosa,' she said.
For a suggested donation of $25, attendees at Empty Bowls will enjoy live entertainment, a simple meal and the opportunity to pick out a hand-crafted bowl, which they can take home. The University of Alabama's Art and Art History Department will donate more than 200 hand-crafted bowls for the event.
Attendees will recieve a meal consisting of soup, bread and water. For an additional $5, attendees will be allowed to take one bowl of soup 'to go.'
Organizers said the 'meager meal' is intended to remind participants that many people in West Alabama lack access to sufficient food or food of an adequate quality, while the empty bowl symbolizes that many people go to bed hungry.
The Empty Bowls concept originated in 1990 in Michigan, when a high school art teacher asked students for an idea to raise money to support a food drive. Today, Empty Bowls fundraisers are held all over the United States.
For more information about the Empty Bowls event, call 205-758-1193 or visit www.gracetuscaloosa.org.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Empty Bowls fundraiser will benefit church's food pantry
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