People from all across the district attended the Empty Bowls Event on April 12. With donations equating to $10 per person for dinner and sponsored from local businesses, the event raised over $5,000.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was created by the Imagine Render Group. Educators and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to indulge in a simple meal of soup and bread in exchange for a cash donation. Guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the “empty bowls” in the world.

The cash profit from the event gets split between Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP) and Maple Plain Food Shelf. The IOCP Food Shelf serves the residents of Hamel, Long Lake, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Plymouth and Wayzata. Maple Plain Food Shelf will be spending the money to attain some of the items that are not cost effective: Kleenex, paper towel, baby wipes, diapers, laundry soap, dishwashing soap, all first-aid products and feminine products.

From 2011 – 2012, IOCP provided food or food gift cards to 1,141 families, impacting 3,903 individuals. They distributed 714,233 lbs. of food in response to 13,576 requests for assistance.

“Sometimes, living in Orono puts a blanket over the topic of hunger around the area,” said community member Kim Kavanagh. “The truth is that hunger affects everyone.”

According to Hunger Solutions Minnesota, in 2011, people in Minnesota visited the food shelves more than three million times. Visits to food shelves have increased by over 164 percent over the past decade.

“It was a community affair,“ Principal David Benson said. “It worked well in the HS cafeteria and our students were helpful and entertaining.“

Businesses that donated included Caribou Coffee, Blackwater Cafe, Harvest Moon and Breadsmith.

The event took place in the high school cafeteria from 5 to 7 p.m. The entertainment for the night was provided by Tri-M, a musical honor society at the high school. Performances throughout the night ranged from singing to playing instruments. Symphonic Band director,Stephanie Hillman, helped to organize the music.

Taylor Peterson is the Editor in Chief – Print for The Spartan Speaks.