The annual Empty Bowls event for Longmont’s OUR Center raises funds for the nonprofit’s food program. With the coronavirus pandemic creating greater demand for meals and food from the nonprofit’s pantry, this year’s fundraiser is paramount. It also is different
OUR Center in 2004 started its Empty Bowls fundraiser, a concept started by a Michigan high school art teacher that later spread to organizations across the country. In pre-pandemic times, it has been a large one-day event in March. Donors purchase and paint bowls from Crackpots, a pottery studio and store on Main Street, that are later sold at the event. Local restaurants partner with OUR Center to serve soup in the purchased bowls.
“People come together and at the event, they get to pick out one of these bowls that's been made or painted for the event to take home with them as a reminder of other people that may not get their bowls filled without our help,” said Elaine Klotz, OUR Center development director.
Empty Bowls has been a community celebrated event since its inception, averaging between 700 and 900 tickets sold each year, Klotz said. The 2020 Empty Bowls event was postponed to September but an inventory of painted bowls was ready to go. The one-day event displayed the bowls outside on tables rather than indoors.
There won’t be a luncheon this time around, said Crackpots owner Tamar Hendricks, because the Empty Bowl partners don’t want to burden restaurants during the pandemic.
This year’s event, the 18th annual, will expand from a one-day gathering to a multiple-month effort and will be OUR Center’s only fundraiser for 2021. Those wanting to paint a bowl can do so now at Crackpots. Capacity is limited inside of the pottery studio, so patrons are encouraged to purchase a kit to take home. It costs $18 to paint a bowl.
Crackpots needs about five days to apply a top glaze and to fire the bowls so they are food safe, so participants should return their bowls as soon as possible, Hendricks said. Starting Monday and running through early April, bowls will be sold for $20 at a pop-up shop at Crackpots, with proceeds benefiting OUR Center. Throughout that period, the Empty Bowls partners plan to host multiple Facebook Live events.
A portion of the money raised from the take-home paint kits also will be donated to OUR Center on behalf of Crackpots. A selection of bowls picked by OUR Center staff will be shelved for an auction in April.
In past years, Hendricks said the event has seen about 800 bowls donated. However, given the circumstances, she doesn’t expect to reach that amount. Klotz is crossing her fingers to reach at least 400 bowls. The cost of one $20 bowl can pay for 10 OUR Center meals.
Since the start of the pandemic, OUR Center has experienced historic demand for its food program, Klotz said. In 2020, the organization distributed more than 1 million pounds of groceries and 55,173 meals to people in the St. Vrain Valley.
OUR Center resource specialists also are seeing a 300% increase in need for financial resources due to the pandemic, Klotz said. Last year, OUR Center provided more than $1 million in financial assistance for rent and utilities and is preparing for similar demand this year, Klotz said.
“Nobody really knows how long we're going to be in these situations. We don't know when we're going to be able to resume normal operations and we don't know how long the economic fallout will take. So we really are gearing up for another entire year of just really unprecedented demand,” she said.
The food program last year saw a dip in donations from restaurant partners since the pandemic has weighed heavily on the food service industry. Outside of the Empty Bowls fundraisers, OUR Center is always accepting donations to support its services. Non-perishable food items are preferred for the OUR Center community market. Personal care items including soap, toothpaste and toilet paper are also highly needed, Klotz said. Learn more about donating items here. Click here for information on making a monetary donation.
“OUR Center has been here for over 34 years, really helping people stabilize and be able to move forward and become self-sufficient, and I think that we've seen the necessity for that even more so over the past year, and the community has recognized that as well,” Klotz said.
OUR Center is providing a one-stop shop for people’s needs and referrals to other organizations that can help, but more importantly Klotz said it is letting people know “that there's people that care about them. Their community cares and are rallying behind them.”
