The third annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for The Table Soup Kitchen starts tomorrow, November 13. Handmade bowls donated by local potter Eric Lindgren are available for a suggested cash donation of $20 at Seven Main Caf\u00e9 beginning tomorrow and at This Is It Hairstyling beginning November 24 with all proceeds going to the local charity.<\/p>\n
Lindgren was inspired to start the fundraiser in 2013 by his friend and fellow potter, Jackie Seaton of Perth, Ontario, who had been donating bowls<\/a> for sale since 2002 in support of local food agencies. Seaton died in 2013 but his legacy continues in Perth and beyond. It’s part of a larger, international initiative celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Empty Bowls started in 1990 as a project in a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan high school ceramics class. It is now a world-wide grassroots effort<\/a> to raise awareness and funds for the fight to end hunger due to poverty.<\/p>\n “I think all communities should do this,” said Lindgren, who is donating a total of 500 bowls for the fundraiser. “It’s sad that there’s this great need in our community and that we’ve accepted it as normal.”<\/p>\n The need in Huntsville is larger than some community members may realize.<\/p>\n In 2014, 8.2 per cent of Huntsville residents were served by The Table Food Bank and 5,330 meals were served by the Table Soup Kitchen at our twice-weekly meals, an average of 55 people per week. Of the 240 families served weekly by the food bank in 2014, 75 per cent of them are families of three or more. This year, about 225 families have been served.<\/p>\n The food bank and soup kitchen are just two of the foundation’s ministries. The Table Exchange Store provides free clothing, outerwear, household items, bedding, books, and toys to those in need. The Table Community Kitchen opened in July to provide healthy-eating food programs — anyone is welcome to attend and a calendar is posted on the foundation’s website<\/a>. Berg said they are close to opening The Table Men’s Shelter with four beds and plans to grow to 16. The shelter will provide a warm bed, shower facilities, laundry, healthy meals, and programming. Once the shelter is open, the foundation will launch their next initiative, The Table Work Crew, to benefit guests of the shelter. It’s still in planning stages, but Berg said the program will “instill work ethic, respect for self and others, and help guests develop skills.” The crew will provide services like landscaping, shovelling and odd jobs, and will build items like picnic tables, Muskoka chairs, and ice huts that will be available to the community in exchange for donations.<\/p>\n The need never goes away. While community members are generous during the weeks before Christmas, the foundation needs help year-round in the form of sponsorships, donations, and volunteers. The Exchange Store welcomes donations of gently-used items any time, community members can sponsor a bed or sponsor a guest<\/a> for the shelter, and the food bank is always in need of dairy and fresh produce in addition to non-perishable items. And as the Christmas season approaches, the foundation is looking for gifts for kids of all ages, especially pre-teens and teens, gently-used or new items that kids can give to parents or siblings, and donations of meat for families to have as Christmas meals, all as part of their Love Connection Ministry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like Lindgren, Seven Main’s new owner, Jayne Danforth, is happy to support the Empty Bowls effort in support of The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation. “I think it’s an awesome idea,” said Danforth. “There are people in this community who need help \u2013 why wouldn’t we help support them?”<\/p>\n If last year is any indication, the bowls in this year’s fundraiser will be gone within a few days. Get them while they last.<\/p>\n Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our twice-weekly email digest and get some of our top stories delivered right to your inbox.
\nHeather Berg, founder and CEO of The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\n<\/strong>*<\/span> indicates required<\/p>\n