Community Commentary Deal Family Food, Restaurants & Dining Spotlight Fara Illich September 25, 2012

empty-bowlsIn honor of World Food Day on October 16, the Arizona Clay Association is presenting the 22nd annual Empty Bowls event to raise money for Waste Not, an agency that feeds the Valley’s hungry men, women and children.
The charity event takes place Friday, October 12 at the Arizona Center from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
For a minimum $12 donation, patrons select their own unique, handcrafted ceramic bowl from thousands of beautiful bowls made by friends and members of Arizona Clay Association from clay donated by Marjon Ceramics. The bowl is then filled with a lunch donated by Sam’s Café. Patrons keep the commemorative bowl as a reminder that someone else’s bowl is always empty.
Proceeds from the event benefit Waste Not, a non-profit organization that collects more than 2 million pounds of excess perishable food annually from restaurants, resorts, caterers and various food purveyors and delivers it to more than 100 recipient agencies including shelters, senior programs, transition homes, day care centers and after school programs. Over the past twenty years, this Empty Bowls event has raised $500,000 for Waste Not. Arizona Clay, which has more than 200 ceramic artists as members, is the organizer of the Arizona Center event. Their members conduct year-round bowl-making sessions with students, friends and community groups in an effort to provide the 4,000 clay bowls needed for this event.
For more information, visit www.wastenotaz.org or call Waste Not at (480) 941-1841 or visit www.arizonaclay.org or call Arizona Clay at (602) 875-9309.