Empty Bowls event to help food bank stock shelves

Rose Tyson and hundreds of volunteers have cooked up a benefit to help end hunger in Tucson: Empty Bowls 2016.

“We started this fundraiser because there are so many hungry people, with more every day. The Interfaith Community Services food bank is doing as much as it can, but it needed funds to purchase food. We have more people every year that need food and I feel we really needed to help those in our community,” said Tyson, co-chair of the event for the fourth consecutive year.

They seem to have found a recipe for success. Last year, the event raised more than $55,000 in a single day to benefit Interfaith’s food bank. This year it seeks to net at least $60,000 due to the combined effort of artisans with Southern Arizona Clay Artists and other local potters; more than 25 local businesses and restaurants; individual volunteers; and presenting sponsors such as Precision Toyota, Dorothy D. Vanek and Wendell and Rose Tyson.

More than 1,000 guests will contribute $20 each to receive a hand-crafted bowl in which they can sample a variety of soups and stews, along with breads and desserts at the event March 5. Festivities also include a silent auction and raffle featuring handcrafted scarves and jewelry, gourd planters, designer pillows, original art, one-of-a-kind pottery, metal sculptures, garden art and gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses.

Tyson said the $20 ticket price is intended to make the benefit accessible to a diverse crowd.

“We decided that at this point we want an event that many people can attend, whereas if you have fundraisers that cost $75 or $100, many people just can’t go. More people can afford this and then they feel like they are part of raising money for a good cause, so it is something we are all working for together,” Tyson said.

Wiping out hunger must be a community effort since it impacts all ages and demographics, according to Deborah Carr, community services philanthropy and public relations director.

“Hunger in our community does not discriminate: It cuts across all lines,” she said.

Last year the food bank served 28,156 individuals and distributed more than $1.8 million worth of food. About 30 percent of recipients are school-age children.

“We see some homeless individuals, but most of our clients are low-to-moderate-income working poor and near-homeless who are making the difficult choice between paying rent and putting food on the table or gas in the car so that they can get to work. There are so many people who are not quite making enough money to pay for their basic needs each month,” Carr said.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Carr said that those who seek assistance at the food bank are referred to complementary programs — a job resource center that helps clients attain or maintain employment; financial literacy programs to help establish household budgets, build savings and repair credit; and emergency financial assistance programs that offer aid with rent, utilities and basic expenses.

“These programs work in a wrap-around way to help people on the path to self-sufficiency. The outcome of the system is that people stabilize from crisis and become sustainable,” Carr said.

The food bank is a cornerstone of those Interfaith programs and is run by one part-time paid staff member and more than 90 volunteers. It is also an affiliated pantry partner of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.

Once a month, each recipient of services is issued one emergency food box comprising pantry staples such as rice, beans and macaroni and cheese. Each recipient also receives supplemental items such as dairy, meat, soups, and fruits and vegetables along with a bread item. Toiletries and other items are based on availability.

“People are only allowed one emergency food box a month through our food bank or any other food bank in Southern Arizona, and realistically, for a family of four to six, the food box makes maybe six to 10 meals if they really stretch it,” said Darryl Landau, who has been volunteering at the Interfaith food bank for four years with his wife, Sarah.

Landau said that recipients are extremely grateful for the food boxes. He emphasized that the items recipients receive are clearly a “safety net.”

“These are basic foodstuffs to survive and get you over the hump. The people who come in are hungry. They must make difficult economic decisions in terms of what to use their limited funds for, and sometimes food takes the back seat,” he said.

Tyson said this reality highlights the importance of Empty Bowls, which will raise funds to buy supplemental food items to keep the Interfaith food bank shelves stocked during the spring and summer when food drive donations dwindle. The money will also fund other operational expenses.

“When we say we served more than 28,000 that is just a number, but these are real people with real stories who really depend on this food, and this event goes a long way toward helping us keep our food bank running. We are so grateful for the hundreds of people that come together to make it possible,” Carr said.