Attendees of Empty Bowls 2023, hosted by Boundary Bay Brewery on June 17, will get to take home a custom bowl — donated by local artists or schools – and can expect soup, bread, a silent auction and live music.
Organized by Whatcom Artists of Clay and Kiln, admission is $20 and it is first-come, first-serve when it comes to picking out a bowl and seating. The entrance fee proceeds will go to the Maple Valley Inn and Bellingham Food Bank.
The silent auction will have other ceramics. Half the revenue from the auction will go to the artists and brewery and the other half to the food banks.
In previous years, the event raised between $5,000 to $8000.
“We want to share good times and good food, while also helping our community members in need. That really is the whole point of the event, to help those in need,” said Brecken Stockmar, president of WACK.
The last time Empty Bowls took place in Whatcom County was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyone in our community had a hard and scary time through COVID,” Stockmar said. “Coming out of it, we want to spread love and help those who are still in need.”
Empty Bowls is an international organization that has raised millions of dollars for food-related charity groups.
Eli Voorhies (he/him) is a fourth-year student at Western in the visual journalism program. Now serving as the managing editor, he has worked two previous stints as a Front editor and interned for Cascadia Daily News. Outside of the newsroom, he rock climbs and loses track of time in the photography dark room on campus. You reach him at eliv.thefront@gmail.com
