Orono High School Hosts Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser

Orono Schools’ Eighth Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser takes place this Thursday, April 12, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of Orono High School. Tickets are available at the door, and all donations are tax deductible.

For $10, participants will enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread, entertainment by Orono High School's Tri-M members and be able to choose a hand-made bowl to take home—all while helping to curb hunger in the Lake Minnetonka community.

Most of the bowls have been created by Orono students. Back by popular demand this year is the Celebrity Silent Auction featuring bowls created by teacher and other staff celebrities, local artists, community members and a few surprise participants.

To date, the community event has raised more than $30,200 for Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners and Maple Plain Food Shelf. These food shelves serve residents of Hamel, Long Lake, Loretto, Maple Plain, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Plymouth and Wayzata.

"What’s important about a fundraiser like Empty Bowls is that food shelves are able to use their buying power to acquire an estimated 10 times the amount of food that an individual could get for the same money at the grocery store," said OHS art teacher and event chair Jayne Hudgins, 

Now, more than ever, that food is desperately needed. Minnesotans are relying on the food shelves more than ever before, and an estimated 40 percent of food shelf beneficiaries are children under age 18.

In addition to dinner and entertainment, there will be displays of student artwork and an opportunity to meet with representatives from both food shelves.

School art departments have partnered with Minnetonka Center for the Arts and Orono Community Education to host the event. Local businesses also play an important role. This year, coffee is being donated by Caribou Coffee in Long Lake, bread by Harvest Moon Natural Foods in Long Lake and the soup by Lunds/Byerly’s. 

Continental Clay and Minnesota Clay provided clay for the bowls.   

Empty Bowls events occur around the world to draw attention to and help alleviate world hunger. The first event was held in Michigan in 1990 and was the idea of a high school art class.

Information provided by the Orono School District.