The University of Tennessee at Martin and We Care Ministries Inc. will co-host the 16th-annual Empty Bowls Soup Supper from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Nov. 23, in the UT Martin Student Life Center at 199 Moody Ave. in Martin.
Empty Bowls, an international project to fight hunger one bowl at a time, started locally in 2003 to support relief efforts by the We Care food bank. For the past 16 years, UT Martin fine arts professor David McBeth, along with students and alumni, have created thousands of ceramic bowls for the event.
Standard-size bowls will be available during the event for a $15 donation, and larger bowls will have suggested donation amounts. Guests can then enjoy an all-you-can-eat soup supper provided by community members and local organizations.
In 2018, UT Martin’s Empty Bowls event raised more than $12,000 for this project. McBeth and his students, made more than 1,500 ceramic bowls that year, the community donated 34 crockpots full of soup and students in UT Martin’s General Studies 101 courses donated 102 boxes of saltine crackers.
The project is seeking sponsors this year to increase support for the local food bank. There are five levels of sponsorship: Pewter Partner ($150 for 10 bowls), Copper Cup ($300 for 20 bowls), Bronze Bowl ($450 for 30 bowls), Silver Spoon ($600 for 40 bowls) and Golden Goblet ($750 for 50 bowls). The deadline to submit sponsorship forms is Nov. 11. The sponsored bowls will be available to pick up during the event, and interested parties should contact McBeth at 731-881-7416 or dmcbethme@gmail.com to obtain a sponsorship form.
For more information, contact David McBeth at 731-881-7416.
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