Empty Bowl

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

Each year, the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department holds its main charity fund-raiser “The Empty Bowl Brunch” for the local Kids Café, a program hosted by the local food bank. Kids Cafe programs provide free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of community locations. The annual “Empty Bowl” Brunch allows ticket holders to choose a bowl (to keep) from among hundreds of unique pieces and enjoy all-you-can-eat “homemade” style soups, breads, desserts and drinks, with 100% of the proceeds go to the Kids Café. In 2009, the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department revamped the event from its Cultural Arts section that had implemented it previously and expanded the collaboration throughout various divisions of the parks department. Since then, the Parks and Recreation Department expanded the bowl decorating into every section of the department, increased business involvement with an increased donation of supplies and food items, and more community involvement by partnerships with schools and local community organizations. Parks and Recreation helped to create and decorate over 1000 bowls each year and to put on a brunch that touches every area of the department and helps the entire community. Since becoming a department-wide event in 2009, $15,486.50 has been raised for Feeding the Valley. This is 38,716 meals for the Kid’s Café program. Therefore this program significantly decreases hunger in the Muscogee County valley area.