Empty Bowls fundraiser fills need in Lakewood Ranch

The 23rd annual Empty Bowls event benefits the Food Bank of Manatee.

By Lesley Dwyer
| 2:00 p.m. November 4, 2023

"I've gone around like 20 times," Kaitlin Verrinder said of choosing a bowl.

East County
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When attending Empty Bowls, it can take less time to taste soup from 17 different restaurants than to pick one bowl to take home.

“I’ve gone around like 20 times,” Kaitlin Verrinder said of circling the table that held hundreds of bowls. “I got one a couple years ago. It’s bright red with leopard spots, and I love it.”

The 23rd annual Empty Bowls event, held on Nov. 3, benefited Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee. What used to be two smaller events, one in Lakewood Ranch and one in Bradenton, was combined into one big event this year.

“This location always had a much bigger turnout here in Lakewood Ranch,” CEO Maribeth Phillips said. “I think being outside, people just love it.”

Over 500 people gathered on Lakewood Ranch Main Street for a soup tasting, and each one took home the bowl of their choice after a grueling decision. The one-of-a-kind treasures are handmade by local clay clubs.

The funds benefit the Food Bank of Manatee, a program of Meals on Wheels Plus Manatee.

“It benefits the food bank community, and now more than ever, people are relying on our food distributions to get food on the table for their families,” Phillips said. “Prices have gone way up, and many people are just one episode away from the despair of having to decide, ‘Do I fix the flat tire, pay the doctor, or go and buy food?’”

The soup is served on site, but each attendee gets a bowl to go.

New to Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, this is Creative Services & Events Coordinator Yis Vang's first Empty Bowls event.

Holly Kaufman serves soup with a smile for the Chicken Salad Chick.

Palmetto resident Mona Jeffries and Bradenton resident Hugh Ann Cason-Kelly attend the Lakewood Ranch event for the first time. They used to attend the one held in Bradenton, but the two events were combined into one this year.

Guests circle the table several times before making a final decision.

CEO Maribeth Phillips says the Meals on Wheels Plus food bank serves 96 agencies in the county. This is the 23rd Empty Bowls event.

Over 500 people attend the Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee Empty Bowls event on Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

Bradenton resident Pat Rup brings a friend from New Hampshire, Karen Alden, to taste soup.

Neal Communities employee David Goben tries the chicken artichoke florentine soup from the Chicken Salad Chick.

author

Lesley Dwyer

Lesley Dwyer is a staff writer for East County and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.