Hundreds attended a reunion of sorts Sunday, packing the Victoria College Student Center in the process.
After a two-year hiatus, the Empty Bowls charity event was back and its supporters were there to welcome it back.
For a $20 donation, attendees received a hand-crafted bowl, a warm meal and comfort knowing they were supporting local food charities.
It was canceled for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s the happiest reunion,” said Debra Chronister, Victoria College art instructor and event chairperson. “It feels like we haven’t skipped a beat.”
Each person filed down the center’s corridors with an empty bowl in hand, much like those who struggle daily with hunger.
As they went down the serving line, they received tea, biscuits and soup from local restaurants that donated food for the event.
Each table was filled with people greeting and enjoying each other’s company, much like they were at a friendly Thanksgiving dinner.
Victoria resident Gail Boswell, 66, has attended Empty Bowl events for almost a decade with her granddaughter Brooke Edison, 23. She still has many of the bowls she has bought over the years.
“It’s just a good thing to do and I love the artistic part of it,” Boswell said. “It’s wonderful to see so many people come out and support our community and support people who need it the most.”
Traveling registered nurse Ronnie Shea came to enjoy the event. She had a bit of fun with the bowl bash activity. For an extra donation, people could take their turn tossing and smashing malformed bowls.
As a traveling nurse, Shea has been to many cities across the U.S. and enjoys learning how each supports the artists and the individual communities, Shea said.
“It’s amazing that so many communities have adopted this,” she said. “It’s really neat to see each of the communities and how they go about putting it on. This one was very nice with the silent auction and the music.”
The funds raised from the event benefits the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent, Meals on Wheels, Victoria Christian Assistance Ministry, Christ’s Kitchen and the Victoria College Visual Arts Scholarship.
“It’s a great financial supporter and we’ve missed it for the last couple of years,” said Robin Cadle, Food Bank of the Golden Crescent president and CEO. “We also get to see our community members and it helps us build that relationship while also bringing in money.”
In years past, the Food Bank received about $10,000 from each Empty Bowls event, which for the organization can be turned into about 800,000 meals for those who need it, Cadle said.
“Many of the grants that we get are specific. You can use it for this or this but not anything else,” she said. “This kind of money gives us operating expenses. Because we have to keep employees. We have to keep the lights on. We have to keep the doors open. This is crucial.”
The potters, who helped prepare the more than 500 bowls that were part of the event, also felt grateful for the experience, said Angela Weaver, 55, a Victoria potter.
“It’s an honor to have your bowl picked by somebody and get to talk to somebody who has got your bowl and is going to take it home,” Weaver said. “It definitely makes the potter feel good. We work on this all year long leading up to the event...It’s 500 bowls, so it’s a lot.”
This was the 17th year for Victoria’s Empty Bowls charity event. Chronister wanted to raise the same amount this year, $20,000, that they typically raise from the event.
“It’s a bonding event for the community. It’s like a reunion every year,” she said. “The whole name for Empty Bowls comes from a high school teacher who did the very first one and his idea was to bring awareness that many people’s bowls are empty. So this idea that people go to bed and their bowl was never filled is a sad thing, so we want to make sure by raising money that we have full bowls for everybody.”