Bowl game for hunger on Lakewood Main Street

The Empty Bowls Hunger Awareness fundraiser always has been special for the Food Bank of Manatee volunteers.

But the real party happens before the event, which this year will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 2 on Lakewood Main Street.

The Food Bank of Manatee needed more than 500 bowls painted for the occasion.

"We had three different paint parties that we held," said Stephanie Grepling, the marketing and communications manager at Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee. "It was a lot of fun, and people could bring wine and food. It was a great way for the community to come together and help make bowls. Kids of all ages came, and ladies, groups, businesses. It was a lot of fun."

Now it's time for celebrity pourers to dish up the main course. For $25, those who patronize Empty Bowls receive soup in a beautiful ceramic bowl. A variety of soups will be provided by local restaurants along with french bread. And patrons get to keep the bowl.

The goal of the event is to raise hunger awareness, using the symbolic meal of soup and bread.  

"One in every five kids in Manatee County is hungry," Grepling said. "It's alarming. We hope that these bowls can act as a souvenir, and a reminder, of all of the hungry families, especially during the holidays." 

It all started with the painting parties.

"The best part about the painting parties, I think, was that it was really interactive," Grepling said. "It's one thing to go to a fundraiser, but it's another thing to actually get involved and see your work at the event. This is all about getting the community involved."

It's one of the favorite times of year for Maribeth Phillips, the chief executive officer of Meals on Wheels Plus.

 “Not only is it such an enjoyable event that people look forward to every year, it’s such a meaningful luncheon," Phillips said. "Those who attend help us to fill the bowls of those in need."

The Food Bank of Manatee also will hold an Empty Bowls Hunger Awareness luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 1 at Renaissance on 9th, 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton.