Artists, hunger activists and caring people of all stripes will come together Saturday, March 7, to raise awareness of food insecurity and to provide funds for the Westside Food Bank and the Bread and Roses Cafe.
Chef D Brandon Walker of the Bread and Roses Cafe and Food Network Chopped Champion will personally be on hand to serve his own creations. For a $20 donation members of the public will receive several servings of various soups and breads and take home a handmade ceramic bowl of their choosing, to remind them of empty bowls right here in Santa Monica.
The Second Annual Empty Bowls Santa Monica will take place through the cooperation of local artists and businesses, the church, the Empty Bowls Project, and Celebrity Chef D Brandon Walker. Walker is a winner of the Food Network's "Chopped" cooking competition series and was named a "Hero Chef." He is Executive Chef at the Bread and Roses Cafe_, which feeds the homeless five days a week, and works at the St. Joseph Center, where he runs a culinary training program that helps struggling men and women find a career in the food industry.
Santa Monica restaurants and merchants, including Panera, Santa Monica Seafood, Earth Wind and Flour, Fromin's, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Albertsons, will provide additional soups, chilies, breads, and other items needed for the meal. Dozens of local potters, including volunteer event organizers Bettye Barclay and Ellen Levy, have handcrafted and donated over 250 unique soup bowls that are waiting to be taken home.
Thanks to this generous alliance, 100 percent of the $20 donations will benefit Westside Food Bank and the Bread and Roses Cafe_. The Westside Food bank is a local nonprofit that serves over 70 different local agencies providing food to those in need. Westside Food Bank finds that the need for food assistance in the area is up by more than 85 percent since the start of the Great Recession. As the food bank warehouse for the Westside since 1981, they annually distribute more than 4.5 million pounds of food. Allison Griffith, a volunteer from Westside Food Bank, will be present to talk about their work.
The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica was founded in 1927 and is affiliated with the national Unitarian Universalist Association. The UU Santa Monica community embraces many beliefs and many backgrounds and actively seeks involvement in the greater community. For a full calendar of events visit www.uusm.org or connect with us on Facebook .com/UUSantaMonica. UU Santa Monica adult and youth volunteers will host and facilitate the event, strengthening the church's long-standing support of the Westside Food Bank. UU Santa Monica is once again proud to be part of the Empty Bowls Project, a grassroots effort to end hunger. The public is welcome.
Location: Forbes Hall, Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, 1260 18th Street. For more information contact Nancy, assistant@uusm.org, (310) 829-5436 ext. 102. Free parking is available in the parking structure on 16th Street just south of Arizona. Handicap parking is available behind Forbes Hall.
