Ozarks Food Harvest hosts Empty Bowls fundraiser for children facing hunger
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Ozarks Food Harvest is teaming up with Panera Bread to host the 11th annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser, presented by Holmes and Griffeth Financial Planners, to raise funds for Ozarks Food Harvest’s Weekend Backpack Program. In southwest Missouri, 1 in 5 children face hunger.
Local artists handcrafted hundreds of bowls that will be available for purchase online from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 at hungeractionmonth.info or in-person at Panera Bread on Campbell Avenue in Springfield on Oct. 3. From 3-7 p.m. The Woodturners of Southwest Missouri, a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners, have been creating and donating bowls for the event since 2014.
“Ozarks Food Harvest has been a favorite charity of the Woodturners for years. It gives members a chance to give back to the community, especially kids. One of the most satisfying acts we can do is help feed others and the ability to donate our time and talents to help accomplish this is a wonderful, worthwhile thing,” said Marian Stahl-Chamberlain, president of the Woodturners of southwest Missouri.
The proceeds of the bowl sales will go towards Ozarks Food Harvest’s Weekend Backpack Program, which provides nearly 1,700 children with weekend meals throughout the school across 15 counties in southwest Missouri. The first 250 donors online and at the in-person event will receive a coupon for a free meal of soup and bread, courtesy of Panera.
“The empty bowls serve as a reminder for the children facing hunger in our community and across southwest Missouri,” said Bart Brown, Ozarks Food Harvest’s president/CEO. “When you purchase a bowl, you’re helping Transform Hunger into Hope as every dollar goes directly to providing a meal to a child in need.”
Since 2014, Empty Bowls has raised nearly $66,000 to provide more than 260,000 meals through Ozarks Food Harvest’s programs and network of charities.
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About Ozarks Food Harvest — The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving 270 faith-based and community charities across a third of Missouri. The Food Bank reaches 70,000 individuals monthly and provides more than 20 million meals annually. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org, facebook.com/ozarksfoodharvest or instagram.com/ozarksfoodharvest.
