First-time fund-raiser to benefit homeless, hungry
Posted on Sunday, November 12, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/47018/
A simple soup and bread dinner will be held Tuesday to benefit Seven Hills Homeless Center.
Leaf-shaped bowls and bowls on pedestals, bowls created by area artists and personalities, bowls made by community children and university students, a green bowl with a frog painting in the bottom; a blue bowl with a trio of cats, square bowls, bowls with words of wisdom, and signature bowls signed by local and national celebrities — all will be part of the Fayetteville effort to ease hunger.
The Empty Bowls fundraiser will be held from 6-9 p. m. at George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 West Dickson St. In exchange for a meal and a bowl, the participant gives a suggested minimum donation, in this case, $ 20.
“ It’ll be a simple meal but with really good food, ” said Kellie Wilks, potter, artist and owner of Flat Rock Studio Clay Supplies and Gallery, who said local chefs and restaurants will be donating their culinary arts as part of the benefit.
Diane Carpenter, community and events coordinator for Seven Hills, described it as a casual evening.
Participants will make their donations at the door, go in for the food and the jazz of the Little Rock group Recovery.
They’ll go home with the bowl of their choice from about 500 made for the event in recent months.
“ They get to take home a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world, ” said Wilks.
The food and the bowls won’t go together, though.
“ It’s not that they’re not food safe, but some that the children made may have holes in them, so they wouldn’t quite work, ” said Wilks.
In addition, participants will have the opportunity to bid on bowls made by local artists or signature bowls.
Hank Kaminsky, the sculptor who created the World Peace Prayer Fountain, donated an original sculpted bowl in the shape of a leaf.
Susan Morrison, Wilks, Shirley Miller, Mike Meredith and Adam Posnak — all locally known artists — donated bowls for the auction. There’s even one by Mayor Dan Coody, too.
Sheryl Crow signed four bowls for the event. Willie Nelson, Bobby Vee, Randy Travis, George Jones and Don Wright are among those who signed and / or drew designs on bowls for the fund-raiser.
Don Tyson’s signature bowl has his drawing of a chicken.
“ We also have the cast of (television show ) Lost; but, so far, the bowls haven’t made it here. They went through the earthquake in Hawaii, so we’re hoping they get here, ” Wilks said.
She said people who want a bowl made during the bowla-thon or by a particular artist may want to go early to insure they get the one they want.
Empty Bowls is a worldwide project designed to provide support for food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that fight hunger. Any organization that fights hunger qualifies to receive the money collected.
Carpenter likened the Empty Bowls event to Seven Hills’ Stone Soup fund-raiser.
She said money received from the event will go directly to Seven Hills, where it can be used to fight hunger or to help supply a variety of resources, such as workboots or medications that Seven Hills offers the homeless population it serves.
Seven Hills Homeless Center sees about 75 to 80 people a day, Carpenter said.
It began as a day shelter providing basic services such as food, shelter, showers, laundry and telephone services. Since then, the center has created three transitional housing programs to aid individuals to achieve self-sufficiency, according to the organization’s Web site.