THUNDER BAY - For the past 20 years, hundreds of people have enjoyed home cooked soups and after the bowls are scraped clean, they continue to serve as an important reminder that not everyone has the means to fill them.
“The reason we let people take the bowl is because we want people to take home a reminder,” said Robin Cooper, chair of organizing team for Empty Bowls, Caring Hearts.
On Sunday, the annual event celebrated its 20th year of raising awareness for food security and sustainability in the community.
“This year is special because it is the 20th anniversary, so we are very excited to be able to be around that long,” Cooper said. “We sold out really early this year, about five weeks before the event, so that tells us that Empty Bowls is still a relevant fundraiser in the city.”
This year more than 390 tickets were sold and Cooper said she expects they will raise more than $28,000. All the money raised is split between Thunder Bay Shelter House and Thunder Bay Food Bank.
“We feel like it’s an important event because not only does it raise money and donations for Shelter House and the Food Bank, but it also raises awareness for the need to address food insecurity in the community and how we can do it collectively,” Cooper said.
According to Cooper, food security is a very complex and challenging issue that requires intervention from every level of government, but events like Empty Bowls helps bring people together to work at finding solutions together.
“Many of the reasons people don’t have enough food to eat is because they don’t have enough money,” she said. “It is income based solutions and that means as individuals it’s hard for us to address that, that is something our leaders, community leaders, the province, the country, need to address. But being here today raises awareness that we have to act collectively.”
And over the past 20 years, Cooper said she has seen changes, especially in how people engage with food security in the community in the hopes of making a difference.
“I think people are really engaged,” she said. “From this event we’ve had people say to us: how can I volunteer at Shelter House, how can I volunteer at the Food Bank, what can I do? That to me is a really positive sign.”
“There is more awareness in the community that giving food is important, but that is only a band aid solution. The real solution has to come at a higher level and we need to use our voice.”
