Empty Bowls: Buy a Bowl, Get Free Soup

Empty Bowls is an international effort to fight hunger, implemented in Houston to benefit the Houston Food Bank. The unique lunch fundraiser will be held Saturday, May 17, 2008, and is a collaboration between Houston area ceramists, woodturners and artists working in all media, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Lawndale Art Center. In its first three years, Empty Bowls Houston has raised more than $85,430 for the Houston Food Bank.

For a minimum $25 donation, attendees receive a simple lunch of soup, bread and water, and then select a bowl from hundreds of one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted bowls donated by Houston area ceramists and craft artists. The empty bowls serve as a reminder of all the empty bowls in our community and the world.

Soup provided by Sweet Tomatoes restaurants, and bread by Whole Foods Bakehouse.

The event will feature live music by The Southern Backtones, Two-Star Symphony, and Mickey Moseley, and live demonstrations by various artists throughout the day.

The event will be held at two neighboring Houston Museum District museums — Center for Contemporary Craft (4848 Main Street) and the Lawndale Art Center (4912 Main Street) — on Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Soup service begins at 11 a.m. and is served until it runs out.

Learn more about this program by visiting www.EmptyBowlsHouston.org.