Flat Rock Backpack Program’s “Empty Bowls” Fundraiser Altered Once Again
(Flat Rock, NC) Due to current public health concerns with COVID-19, the fourth annual “Empty Bowls” fundraiser has once again been postponed and with a different format. The fundraiser was originally set for March 29, and then pushed back to September 27, 2020. Now organizers have decided to honor only current ticket holders to an event on Saturday, October 3, 2020.

There will be no food or beverages served or any further ticket sales. Original ticket purchasers will be contacted to pick up a hand-crafted bowl made by a local pottery artist at The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness, 1905 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock. The traditional Empty Bowls event plans to return in the future.

For more information please call 828-693-9783. The fundraiser supports the Flat Rock Backpack Program as volunteers gather to feed at-risk youth and their families at seven Henderson County schools. Donations are gratefully accepted throughout the year. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/AYKbzLHI_zM

Flat Rock Backpack Program: Each week during the school year, volunteers gather at Hubba Hubba Smokehouse on Friday mornings to pack between 150-180 grocery bags of food, providing nourishment for nursery and school age children identified as those in need of weekend food. Supplemented by food from MANNA FoodBank, volunteers purchase oatmeal, tinned meat, rice, pasta, beans, vegetables and fruit), then pack and deliver bags to the schools where the administration slips the bags into backpacks for discreet home delivery (when there is a home). Each year, the group buys for, and packs approximately 6,000 backpacks at a cost of $22,000. Neighbors from throughout the community donate their time while Saint John in the Wilderness provides technical and administrative assistance (including 501c3 status). The Flat Rock Backpack Program relies on corporate and individual donations, and our local pottery artists, pivotal partners, who generously donate their time and talents for this annual fundraiser.

Empty Bowls was started over 25 years ago in Michigan as a high school service project. The goal is to address hunger needs in local communities. The event concept is a simple one. The community is invited to a meal of soup, bread and dessert (donated by local businesses and organizations). As part of the admission fee, the ticket holders choose a handmade bowl (crafted/donated by local artists) to take home as a thank you gift. The bowl serves as a reminder that as long as children in our community go hungry, we will help.