Foodbank’s 22nd Annual Santa Barbara Empty Bowls

Source: Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will host its 22nd Annual Santa Barbara Empty Bowls fundraiser on Sunday, November 10, 2019 at the Ben Page Youth Center, 4540 Hollister Ave. Seatings are scheduled for 11 a.m., 12 noon, and 1 p.m. The annual event raises awareness about hunger and food insecurity throughout the community and raises funds to end hunger in Santa Barbara County.

“Empty Bowls is the epitome of a community coming together to care for its own,” said Erik Talkin, CEO of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. “Chefs, ceramic artists, volunteers and attendees share an afternoon to benefit those facing hunger in the community, but it really feeds everyone who participates.”

“Each year, the funds raised help the Foodbank provide healthy groceries, fresh produce and nutrition education to low-incomes families and individuals in Santa Barbara.”

Empty Bowls founder and committee chair Danyel Dean added that the event has raised nearly $2 million over the past 21 years and in doing so has provided nearly 16 million meals to hungry county residents.

“Every year we are overcome with the incredible feeling at Empty Bowls,” she added. “The mood is unlike anything else because it is so rich in love and care. The soups are delicious, the bowls and ceramics in the raffle and marketplace are works of art, and the spirit of helping those in the community who experience food insecurity is unmatched.”

The regular $30 admission includes a simple meal of soup and bread. For a larger donation of $100, supporters will also receive a 2019 limited-edition bowl made by local artists Dean and Merrilee Ford, along with a pack of five raffle tickets.

Lunch guests will also have an opportunity to tour the Foodbank’s warehouse located next door to the Page Center, learn more about the Foodbank’s mission and programs, and enjoy cookies donated by Belmond El Encanto and coffee donated by Dune Coffee Roasters.

This year’s soups – such as pozole verde, sweet pea soup with mint, butternut squash and bacon soup with sage, zuppa con lenticchie e salsicce, and pappa al pomodoro – will be prepared and donated by more than 20 local restaurants.

The Foodbank warmly welcomes back San Ysidro Ranch to the roster of gourmet soup donors after a year’s break due to damage from the 1/9 Montecito Debris Flow. Other restaurants donating soup include Beachside Bar-Café, The Bear and Star, Benchmark Eatery, Biltmore Four Seasons, Bluewater Grill, Bouchon, Finch & Fork, Fresco Café, Helena Avenue Bakery, Jane (Santa Barbara), The Lark, Loquita, Lucky’s, Olio e Limone Ristorante, Opal Restaurant & Bar, Pascale’s Kitchen, Rosewood Miramar Beach, San Ysidro Ranch, Savoy Café & Deli, The Secret Ingredient, Stella Mare’s Bistro, Toma Restaurant & Bar, Tyger Tyger and Zookers Restaurant.

Bread donors include Hove’s Loaves, local maker of fresh sourdough breads, and others.

The event also features a raffle drawing for a variety of prizes, including meals at local restaurants, overnight stays at luxury hotels, and a variety of services and gift items.  A variety of hand-crafted ceramic items will also be available, some for sale at the Empty Bowls Marketplace and some as part of a silent auction.

Sponsors of the 2019 Santa Barbara Empty Bowls include the Wood-Claeyssons Foundation; Angela Moloney Braverman – Realtor Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices; CenCal Health; Deckers Brands; Exxon Mobil; Frank Schipper Construction; Tomchin Family Charitable Trust; Mary Dee Thompson; Aera Energy; Bank of America; Cyndee Howard Family; Montecito Bank & Trust; Pacific Premier Bank; Maryan Schall; The Towbes Foundation; Union Bank; The Ford Family; Jack and Anita Tiethof; Katherine Bower; Susan and Jeff Bridges; J.W. Colin Family; Danyel Dean and Peter Castellanos; Matt and Kerry Ellison; HUB International; Sara Miller McCune; NS Ceramic; Leon and Elizabeth Olson; Hon. Susan Rose; Peggy and Bryant Shoemaker; and Carolyn and Philip Wyatt.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://donate.foodbanksbc.org/sbemptybowls2019. Free parking will be available at San Marcos High School with a continuously running free shuttle provided by Santa Barbara Airbus to transport guests between the school and the Page Center. Limited $5 parking will be available near the Page Center, with Blue Star Parking providing valet services.

The Foodbank is grateful to the Santa Barbara Empty Bowls committee, which works year-round to make this event possible: Elisa Atwell, Danyel Dean, Merillee Ford, Sadie Hall, Sarah Hanna, Susan Hersberger, Donnalyn Karpeles, Nancy Krug, Collete Mason, Elizabeth Olson, Laurie Potter, Shanon Sedivy, Peggy Shoemaker and Deirdre Woode.

For more information, please contact the Foodbank at (805) 967-5741 ext. 119, or Empty Bowls Santa Barbara representative Danyel Dean at (805) 564-6603.

About Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is transforming health by eliminating hunger and food insecurity through good nutrition and food literacy. The Foodbank provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 300 distribution programs operated by the Foodbank, its network of partner agencies, and volunteers. In Santa Barbara County, one in four people receive food support from the Foodbank; over 190,000 unduplicated people of whom 40% are children. Last year, the Foodbank distributed 10 million pounds of food–nearly half of which was fresh produce. The Foodbank’s innovative disaster preparedness initiatives are building a resilient Santa Barbara County. For more information, visit www.foodbanksbc.org.