SEMO Food Bank expands annual Empty Bowls event with new lunch gathering
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
SIKESTON, Mo., (KBSI) — The Southeast Missouri Food Bank will expand its annual Empty Bowls event this year by adding a new lunch gathering in Jackson on Friday, Nov. 7, in addition to the popular evening event hosted by Riverside Pottery Studio in Cape Girardeau.
For years, Riverside Pottery has welcomed the community to enjoy soup and take home a handcrafted bowl as a reminder of those facing hunger in the region. This year, the food bank is extending that tradition with a lunch event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its Jackson office, located at 4536 E. Jackson Blvd.
“We’re excited to expand Empty Bowls this year and continue our partnership with Riverside Pottery Studio,” said Joey Keys, CEO of the Southeast Missouri Food Bank. “Every bowl represents a neighbor facing hunger, and this event is a meaningful way for the community to help fill those empty bowls.”
At the Jackson lunch event, guests will enjoy soups and sides from more than a dozen local restaurants and receive a commemorative bowl to take home. Lunch tickets are $15 for dine-in or carry-out and $16 for delivery, available to businesses in Cape Girardeau and Jackson with a minimum of five orders.
Those unable to attend lunch can still support the cause by attending the evening Empty Bowls event at Riverside Pottery Studio in Cape Girardeau. For a minimum $20 donation, guests will receive soup from local restaurants and a handcrafted bowl, available while supplies last. Riverside Pottery will also donate a unique pottery piece for a special drawing held during the lunch event.
The food bank expressed gratitude to the sponsors who make Empty Bowls possible. Presenting sponsors include Midwest Sterilization Corporation and Montgomery Bank. Soup sponsors are Delta Companies and River Radio, while Neighbor sponsors include Culligan Waters, McDowell South RV, MRV Banks, Ritter Communications, and the Southeast Missourian.
“As the holiday season approaches, we’re reminded how generous and caring our community is,” Keys said. “That’s what Empty Bowls is all about—hope, compassion, and coming together to feed one another.”
The Southeast Missouri Food Bank serves about 80,000 people each month through a network of partner agencies and direct-service programs across 16 counties, including the five most food-insecure in Missouri.
Tickets for the lunch event are available now, with proceeds supporting the food bank’s programs and food purchases for neighbors in need.
To purchase tickets or place delivery orders, visit Southeast Missouri Food Bank Empty Bowls – Our Charity, stop by the Food Bank’s Jackson office, or call 573-471-1818.
