Empty Bowls Dinner
The Event
Empty Bowls is Shepherd's Staff's annual fundraiser, bringing our community together to help fight hunger. For just $40, you'll receive admission to the event, a hand-crafted bowl created by a local artist, and your choice of delicious soup prepared by a local restaurant. Your meal also includes fresh bread, a homemade dessert, and a beverage.
This is a wonderful opportunity to support the pantry, enjoy a great meal, and take home a unique piece of local art. Purchase your ticket today and help us make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need!
Time & Place
Join us for the Empty Bowls Dinner on Saturday, October 24, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Spruce Pine First Baptist Church for an evening of delicious food, fellowship, and fun. Proceeds from this event will directly benefit Shepherd's Staff, helping support neighbors in need throughout our community.
As a special keepsake, each guest will receive a hand-crafted bowl to take home, serving as a meaningful reminder of those who face food insecurity every day. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy a great evening while making a difference in the lives of others!
Fill a Bowl, Fill a Need
Mitchell County Shepherd's Staff provides food assistance to individuals and families facing hardship in our community to help ensure our neighbors have access to life's basic necessities.
Empty Bowls is our primary fundraiser, and the funds raised help us continue our mission of making sure no one in our community goes hungry.
We believe in the power of coming together to support our neighbors. Not everyone has a full bowl, but together, we can make a difference. We invite you to join us in this important effort.
History of Empty Bowls
Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement that brings together food pantries, artists, local restaurants, and grocers around the world to raise awareness and funds for organizations working to address food insecurity and feed hungry people in their communities.
The project was founded by Lisa Blackburn and John Hartom in 1990, when they joined an effort to raise charitable funds in their Michigan community. Hartom’s students created ceramic bowls in their high school art classes, which were then used as serving pieces for a simple soup-and-bread fundraiser.
The idea has since grown into an international movement, and Lisa and John have made this area their home, bringing the Empty Bowls tradition with them. At an Empty Bowls event, guests enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread and choose a handcrafted bowl to take home—a lasting reminder of the many empty bowls that still exist in our world.