Hopkins Empty Bowls Event Total Tops $80,000

The 15th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser soared more than $5,000 past the already-amazing total it reached last year.

Tuesday’s event raised $81,400 for ResourceWest and ICA Food Shelf—including $67,695 from the Challenge to the Community Fund, sponsored by Supervalu, Choices For Children/Accra Care and 159 business, civic, congregation, school and community leaders, organizer Barb Westmoreland announced Wednesday.

Last year, the event raised $76,117.

The 2013 Empty Bowls saw the following big numbers, as well:

• 1,220 bowls created by our students, staff, and community potters, up from 1,022 the year before;
• 32 Hopkins Schools art, music, and elementary teachers;
• 289 volunteers and 453 entertainers of all ages;
• 69 artist bowls & fine art for the silent auction;
• 1,480 servings of soup and bread, up from 1,350 in 2012 and
• 41 sponsors of in-kind services.

“We want to thank you for mixing in your ‘special ingredients’ to make our 15th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for ResourceWest and ICA Food Shelf a great success,” Westmoreland wrote in an e-mail. “March 12 was a wonderful day with people of all ages coming together at Hopkins Center for the Arts.”

Robbinsdale Area Schools will host an empty bowls event on Mar. 21. For information on the upcoming event, go to the event website, or like the event page on Facebook.