Support local food pantries at Oakton's Empty Bowls
Shop for your holiday gifts while supporting a good cause by attending Empty Bowls at Oakton from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Oakton Community College's Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road, rooms 1606-1610.
More than 1,200 handcrafted soup bowls will be available for purchase.
The event is now in its 16th year of raising awareness of local and worldwide hunger. Admission is free, but for a donation of just $16, participants are invited to choose and keep their favorite artwork made by local professional and student potters, enjoy a simple lunch of soup and bread and enjoy live music.
Larger art pieces are also available via raffle and bargain purchases. All proceeds go to local food pantries.
Sponsored by the Ceramics Club at Oakton and supported by student activity fees, Empty Bowls at Oakton is part of a nonprofit, global movement that has raised millions of dollars for food banks, soup kitchens and other meal programs.
"This is a wonderful chance to acquire inexpensive and unique gifts while supporting community food charities," says Oakton Chairman of Art and Design Lou Pierozzi, who also serves as an adviser for the Ceramics Club.
"Volunteers have been working year-round to get ready for this annual event. I'm always moved by the dedication of our members who monthly donate 20 to 30 hours of their time for this cause."
Since 2004, Empty Bowls at Oakton has raised more than $358,000 for area charities through the sale of approximately 17,500 handmade bowls.
For information, contact emptybowls@oakton.edu or call (847) 635-1699.