Springfield, Ohio – Dedicated to helping those in need, the 22nd annual Empty Bowls fundraiser will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 31. The event exemplifies Wittenberg’s service-based mission, which encourages all students to discern their vocations and to understand the meaningful connection between self-fulfillment and service to the world.

Wittenberg’s Department of Art in conjunction with Catholic Charities hosts the Empty Bowls fundraiser, proceeds from which support Second Harvest Food Bank in Springfield.

As always, Wittenberg’s Center Dining Room (CDR), located on the second floor of the Benham-Pence Student Center, will serve as the venue. Cost of a bowl is $15 per person and guarantees a handcrafted bowl and dinner, which includes a selection of soup and bread. Every dollar raised provides five meals to hungry families in our community. The purchase of one bowl will provide 75 meals.

After being washed by a volunteer, each bowl can be taken home, serving as a reminder that every night someone’s bowl is empty and that many people go hungry each day in this country.

The goal for this year’s event is to raise $48,000 - a mark set after last year’s event tallied more than $48,500. In the 20 years Wittenberg has coordinated Empty Bowls, students and the Springfield community have raised more than $363,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank.

“This is truly a community event that brings in many people from Springfield and is a major fundraising event for Second Harvest Food Bank,” said Professor of Art and Department Chair Scott Dooley. “We have been able to grow this project by leaps and bounds even through the tough economic climate of the last several years.”

Second Harvest Food Bank is a non-profit organization that collects and provides food supplies to more than 100 local feeding programs in the surrounding areas of Clark, Champaign and Logan counties.

Wittenberg ceramic students, faculty, staff, and a few community members make the handcrafted ceramic bowls used at the event. Empty Bowls Throwing Days take place throughout the year as bowls are thrown, glazed and fired. In total, approximately 1,000 bowls are created for the fundraising event.

The 2015-16 Empty Bowls student coordinator is art major Kelli Harrod, class of 2016, from Ravenna, Ohio. Hannah Fournier, class of 2014 from Dayton, Ohio, and Crispin Prebys, assistant professor of art, designed the promotional posters for the event.

This event would not be possible without support from event sponsors:

• Golden Spoon - Dr. Dana and Judy King of Northside Veterinarian Clinic.
• Silver Spoon – Heidleberg Distributing Company, Madison Avenue Pharmacy, Villa Springfield Health and Rehabilitation Center and Wallace and Turner Inc./Patrick Field.
• VIP Sponsors - Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mary Alice and Steve Neely/Armoloy, Clark Schaefer Hackett CPAs & Business Consultants, Betsy and Jim Dean, Don Johnson, State Rep. Kyle Koehler, Mitchell and Dulce Hurst, Team Title & Closing Services LLC, Grimes-Kohl VFW Post 1031, and Kim and Jerilyn Weber.
• Major Event Sponsors - Sodexo and Wittenberg Student Senate/Build a Better Wittenberg (BABW).
• Soup Sponsors - Bob Evans, Buckeye Sports Lodge, Cecil and Lime, Coppertop Restaurant, Essex of Springfield, Jaguar Room, Linardos Villa, Los Mariachis, Mela Urban Bistro, Mic's Italian Restaurant, Seasons Bistro Grille and Sodexo.

The deadline to receive full inclusion as a sponsor in all event print materials is March 24. However, sponsorships will be accepted through March 31, the day of the event. Please contact Scott Dooley at sdooley@wittenberg.edu if interested in sponsoring.

T-shirts, designed by Fournier, will be available for purchase, and an artwork raffle is on the schedule, too.

Many years the bowls sell out, and if this happens, patrons may enjoy a meal at a reduced price using disposable bowls. Rainbow Table 1 soup kitchen will share any leftover food items from the event the next day.

Free parking is available in the lots behind Krieg Hall and the Benham-Pence Student Center, which both have entrances off West Ward Street.