The 1st Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser for Mt. Si Food Bank was a big success – a sellout! In all, 220 tickets were sold and $7,400 was raised in the event’s inaugural year. Soups were donated by North Bend Bar and Grill, Mt. Si Golf Course, Twedes and The Woodman Lodge. George’s Bakery provided the rolls. Snoqualmie Middle School art teacher, Ruth Huschle, was especially helpful by offering students an opportunity to give back to the community with their 220 handmade bowls, which were centerpieces for the event.
The real success for Mt. Si Food Bank, though, was the community involvement and generating increased conversations about food insecurity in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Food Bank Director, Heidi Dukich, says, “I hope that by having students involved in making the bowls, they were sharing their experience and information about the needs in the valley with their friends and families. I kept imagining ( and hoping) that families were discussing the topic at the dinner table. At Mt Si food bank, we are raising funds to fill a basic human need that so many Valley residents depend on every week. The need is year round and it is important for us at the food bank to keep the awareness by providing opportunities to get involved.”
Mt. Si Food Bank has two upcoming events. May 20th features the Crop Walk organized by Church World Service; 25% of proceeds from the Snoqualmie Valley Crop Walk go to the food bank. October features The Night on a Dark Trail. Organizers are still in the planning stages for the event and should begin advertising for volunteers early this summer. Look for more information on these events in the near future.
