15th Annual St. Lucie County Empty Bowls Project brings community together to fight hunger

One of the biggest community collaborations to fight hunger – the St. Lucie County Empty Bowls Project – will be marking its 15th year on Saturday, March 11th at the Downtown Fort Pierce Farmers’ Market.

The St. Lucie County Empty Bowls Project combines the artistic talents of community students with the culinary flair of local restaurants for an event that reminds everyone that 1 in 4 people on the Treasure Coast don’t always have enough nutritious food to eat.

More than 500 ceramic bowls hand-crafted by St. Lucie County public and private school students will be on display at the Farmers’ Market. For a $25 donation, patrons may select the bowl of their choice, along with a serving of tasty soup donated by area restaurants. All proceeds benefit Treasure Coast Food Bank’s programs for children, seniors, veterans, and families in need of food.

“The St. Lucie County Empty Bowls Project brings together so many people, including the students and their teachers, the restaurants, supporters, and everyone who comes out to choose a bowl and help us fight hunger,” said Judith Cruz, President and CEO of Treasure Coast Food Bank. “We’re very excited to be hosting this event for the 15th year, and we thank everyone who takes part.”

Sponsors of the 15th Annual St. Lucie County Empty Bowls Project are Crist Construction, Dannahower Family Foundation, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, St. Lucie Mets, The Sunrise Theatre, and Wynne Charitable Foundation.

The restaurants providing soup this year are Cobbs Landing, Crabby’s Dockside Fort Pierce, and Little Jim Bait & Tackle.

Another longstanding tradition will continue this year with a silent auction of bowls that have been autographed by New York Mets Players, and entertainers who performed at The Sunrise Theatre. Bid on bowls signed by Johnny Mathis, David Foster, Katharine McPhee, Daniel Tosh, and the Oak Ridge Boys.

The event takes place from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and the Downtown Fort Pierce Farmers’ Market is located at 101 Melody Lane.

ABOUT TREASURE COAST FOOD BANK

Treasure Coast Food Bank is the only food bank and largest hunger relief organization on Florida’s Treasure Coast, providing the community each year with millions of meals valued at more than $50 million through robust programs and in partnership with 300 charitable organizations in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties. In addition to emergency food distribution, Treasure Coast Food Bank operates a full roster of direct service programs that not only solve the immediate problem of hunger, but help individuals and families gain long-term food security, better health outcomes, and self-sufficiency. Treasure Coast Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. For more information on Treasure Coast Food Bank, call 772.489.3034, log on to stophunger.org, visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/tcfoodbank, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/tcfoodbank.