19th annual Empty Bowls event to be held Nov. 19

MARTIN, Tenn. (KFVS) - The 19th annual Empty Bowls event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 19.

According to a release from the University of Tennessee Martin, they’re co-hosting the event with We Care Ministries Inc. It will be in the Boling University Center Duncan Ballroom at 11 Wayne Fisher Drive in Martin.

The fundraiser was founded in 2003 by retired UT Martin art professor and potter, David McBeth. The goal is to “fight hunger one bowl at a time.”

Donors will receive a handcrafted bowl for each $15 donation with all proceeds supporting We Care Ministries Inc.

They say the bowls are made by McBeth; Jason Woolery, lecturer in the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts; and UT Martin students.

Because of the pandemic, organizers say the traditional Empty Bowls soup meal will return for the first time since 2019. With each donation, guests will also get an all-you-can-eat soup lunch provided by community members.

The project not only benefits the community, but also serves as a hands-on learning opportunity for students.

“Students gain a sense of community by helping with the bowl making and glazing and by helping with the project the day of the event,” McBeth said in the release.

We Care Ministries was founded in 1973. All monetary donations are used to help Weakley County families through 11 assistance programs that include the food bank, education and literacy, childcare and direct aid.

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