Ten area food pantries are the recipients of the 2016 Talbot County Empty Bowls Community Dinner proceeds. The sold out event along with the generous contributions from sponsors raised $24,795.00, providing a distribution of $2,465.00 to each of the organizations. These funds are used to stock shelves and distribute food to the county’s underserved. According to Maryland Food Bank statistics, 11 percent of residents in Talbot County, the second wealthiest county in the state, do not know how they will secure their next meal. Forty seven percent of Talbot County children are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
Since its inception in 2009, the annual Empty Bowls Community Dinner has raised and distributed a total of $105,026 to area food banks. A $20 ticket to the event provides each guest with a handmade bowl filled to the brim with homemade soup. Anna Harding, Founder and Co-Chair remarked, “It is our hope that the bowl will remind our guests that someone else’s bowl is always empty and be an encouragement to support those organizations who are working every day to feed those in need throughout Talbot County.”
Planning for the 2017 Empty Bowls Community Dinner is already underway. Contributions and sponsorships are always appreciated and may be sent to the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, 102 East Dover, Easton, Maryland 21601. Updates can be found on the organization’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/talbotcountyemptybowls.
“For eight years, this generous community has joined together to fight to end hunger in Talbot County, one bowl at a time. Thousands of individuals have either attended our Empty Bowls Community Dinner, painted a bowl, cooked soups, made desserts, volunteered time, or financially contributed to this effort,” said Susan duPont, Co-Chair of the organization. “This is the spirit and the face of the Empty Bowls community. It is each of us stepping up as we can that has made the difference.”
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