THUNDER BAY – Local potters and volunteers came together for a 22nd year Saturday to raise funds, and awareness, to combat hunger.
Participants in the Empty Bowls, Caring Hearts fundraiser normally enjoy a communal meal and select a pottery bowl donated by a local artist. The event was held instead as a drive-through for a second year at the Moose Hall on Fort William Road, due to COVID-19 precautions.
The event typically raises between $20,000 and $30,000, with proceeds split between the Thunder Bay Food Bank and the Shelter House.
“As things have gone on during the pandemic, the need for emergency food in our community has only grown,” said event co-chair Robin Cooper. “Those two organizations are providing really important services to folks who need it.”
Ticket holders had their pick of take-home beef barley, fish chowder, or vegetable quinoa soup Saturday, and a dizzying array of designs from local potters.
Roots to Harvest, chef Rachel Globensky, and Northern Unique bakery prepared food, while several corporate sponsors helped cover costs.
“It’s really a team effort,” said Cooper. “We had lots of community support and lots of people willing to help out – and most importantly the potters, because this wouldn’t be Empty Bowls without the bowls.”
Volunteers also sold 50/50 raffle tickets, bowl cozies, and extra soup in their pursuit of a $20,000 fundraising goal.
The event represents the biggest single fundraiser of the year for the Thunder Bay Food Bank, said Cooper.
Potters contributed 500 bowls, about 100 more than usual. Most had already been sold before the event began Saturday morning.
The first Empty Bowls fundraiser was held in Michigan in 1990. Potters and members of the Lakehead Unitarian Fellowship launched the local event in 2000, raising close to $400,000 since.
Brad Hominick, who sells under the name The Pottery Cellar, was one of about 16 local potters who participated this year, donating 25 pieces.
“It never seems to be difficult getting bowls,” he said. “Word goes out to the pottery community, there’s a lot of potters in Thunder Bay, and the bowls just pour in and we take it from there.”
Cooper hopes the event drives home the need for systemic change as well as raising funds. Volunteers handed out brochures with information about hunger and poverty issues, including a Roots to Harvest dignified food access campaign.
Hominick also hopes the event resonates beyond a single day.
“Hopefully each and every time people use that bowl at home, they think about somebody out in the community that isn’t eating that day or doesn’t have a roof over their head, and look forward to helping out more and more,” he said.
Despite the success of the drive-through version, Cooper said organizers are eager to get back to the traditional shared meal in 2022.
“We’re just really hopeful we’ll to be able to sit down, because that’s where all the community happens,” she said. “We have these big long tables, you get to see people you maybe haven’t seen in a while, or meet new people. It’s a real community event, and we have those moments of reflection where we talk about why we’re doing it.”
