Oct 10

Oct 10 Come out and support Channel One's annual Empty Bowls event

With temperatures dropping, a bowl of soup never sounded so good.

Channel One Regional Food Bank will hold its 12th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser this Thursday from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. at the Rochester Art Center. Community members are invited to stop in and enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread provided by top local restaurants and bakeries. Attendees can also choose a donated, hand-painted bowl to take home as a memento of the event.

Empty Bowls, sponsored by Think Mutual Bank, is Channel One's largest fundraiser of the year. Last year, more than 1,100 attended the event.

“With so many meals missing in our community every day, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the issue of hunger,” said Jennifer Woodford, executive director of Channel One. “An easy- and delicious- way to make a difference is to attend Empty Bowls. For every individual advance ticket sold, Channel One can provide enough food for 40 meals! That makes a huge difference in our community.”

Over the last 12 years, the Empty Bowls event has been able to provide enough food for more than two million meals. Chanel One estimates that one in 10 people living in Minnesota don't have enough to eat.

Admission for the 2016 event is $10 for pre-sale tickets or $15 at the door. Family tickets are also available for $30 in advance or $35 at the door.

All proceeds from Empty Bowls will benefit Channel One and support its mission of “helping feed people in need.” The nonprofit is the largest hunger relief organization in southeast Minnesota, In the 2015-2016 fiscal year, Channel One distributed approximately 10 million pounds of food to people in need.