Dinner, challenge to benefit food banks
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Organizers for the Empty Bowl fundraising project are hoping to have 250 handcrafted ceramic bowls on hand for participants to purchase.</p>
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Chris Heath applies paint Tuesday to one of the 20 bowls he's designing at Hands to Art for this weekend's Empty Bowl fundraising project benefitting the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls food banks. Participants of Saturday's event pay $12 per handcrafted bowl that will be filled with homemade soup.</p>
POST FALLS - Here's a chance to help the hungry, satisfy your own appetite and take home the handcrafted ceramic bowl painted by a local artisan that you ate soup from.
The first Empty Bowls Dinner fundraiser for the Post Falls Food Bank and Community Action Partnership will be Saturday from 5-7 p.m. at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, 405 William St., Post Falls.
Cost is $12 per bowl. Two hundred and fifty bowls have been made for the event.
A variety of homemade soups, bread and lemonade will be served by Distinguished Young Women participants from Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene as part of their public service projects for their upcoming scholarship competitions.
Proceeds will be split evenly between the food banks in Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene.
"If we sell out of bowls, we'll raise $1,000 per food bank," said Cynthia Keck, an organizer who has been involved in other Empty Bowls events elsewhere and is director of the Post Falls DYW program.
Hands To Art in Coeur d'Alene provided the workspace and materials for the bowls at the $4 cost for each, local artisans donated their time to work on the bowls, and restaurants are donating the food.
Bowls will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Kim Washko, director of the Coeur d'Alene DYW program and owner of the art shop, said the bowls would retail for about $25 each if sold in a store.
"Our hope is to do this event each year and have it grow," Washko said.
March and April are a great time to support the food banks during fundraisers or individual giving because the Feinstein Foundation divides $1 million to all agencies nationwide participating in a challenge, including in Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene, based on cash donations and food donations by the pound during the two months.
"Leveraging Mr. (Alan) Feinstein's money is an extra gift," said Sherry Wallis, director of the Post Falls Food Bank. "If people are considering making their annual donation to the food bank, now is an excellent time to do so."
This is the 15th year of the challenge. Participating agencies receive a minimum of $250 and a maximum of $35,000.
"Agencies should tell their donors that their donation toward this campaign makes them partners in the most successful ongoing effort ever to fight hunger; that is something they can take pride in," a press release states.
The annual Post Falls spring community food drive will be April 13 at Trading Co. Store.