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Regional Potters Aid Empty Bowls Fundraiser in Flat Rock

Regional Potters Aid Empty Bowls Fundraiser in Flat Rock

Meghan Bernard, artist

For the fourth year, local pottery artists are firing their kilns to help hungry children in the greater Flat Rock area. On Sunday, March 29, Empty Bowls, a community meal benefitting the Flat Rock Backpack Program, will take place inside the Parish Hall at The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness. There are three seatings: 12:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Reservations are suggested.

“We hope to raise $11,000, half of our yearly budget,” says Debby Staton, Backpack Program coordinator at St. John in the Wilderness. “It is such a pleasure knowing that the artists who provide the pottery, as well as the food services and organizations who provide the nourishment, are committed to helping.”

Tickets are $25 per person or $50 for a family of two adults and children under 12 years old. Each ticket includes one hand-crafted bowl donated by an area potter and a soup-based meal that includes a variety of soups, breads and desserts. Tickets will be available beginning Monday, March 2, at St. John in the Wilderness Parish House Office, from Backpack team members or at the door on the day of the event.

“Friendships are made and strengthened at the event, and people have fun while working for a good cause,” says Staton. “They support the program, and, in turn, receive a delicious meal and a beautiful pottery bowl to take home as a remembrance that as long as there are hungry children, we will help.”

Flat Rock Backpack Program volunteers gather each week during the school year to pack 150 to 180 bags of groceries, providing nourishment for area nursery and school-age children in need of weekend food. Annually, the group buys for and packs approximately 6,000 backpacks.

The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness is located at 1895 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock. For more information, call 828.693.9783. Credit cards are accepted; checks should be made out to SJIW, noting Empty Bowls. Donations are gratefully accepted throughout the year.

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