Empty Bowls, which raises money for the Community Food Bank through the sale of ceramic pieces by local artists and artisans, raised more than $2,000 at this year’s event on Saturday, May 2, at the Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Organizers Danielle Bullock and Ed Huml said that the event was on par with past years in terms of visitors and money raised. Unwilling to rest on their laurels, they’re brainstorming ways to expand the event to attract even more artists and buyers in the future, especially using social media and local news sites to create more awareness in the community.
This year, musical entertainment was provided throughout the day by a slate of local musicians, filling the community room of the church not with hymns but songs of social protest. The Community Food Bank distributes food to local families through the food bank at the church. It’s entirely a do-it-yourself operation, Huml said. “We didn’t want to wait for some national organization to tell us how to do this. We just wanted to figure out how to do it ourselves—to help local families here in the neighborhood.” While many participants in the event were members of the church congegration, there were a few nonbelievers on board as well—even an outspoken atheist like me, because it wasn’t about religion. It was about pitching in to help out our neighbors in need. We can all get behind that.
The event takes place every year around Mother’s Day, Huml said, but a conflict with the Kentucky Derby may have impacted attendance. “We’ll be a little more careful about the date next year,” he said.
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