(Palm Beach, FL.) – The record-breaking 8th Annual Palm Beach Empty Bowls event raised $105,263 for the Palm Beach County Food Bank to help the thousands of hungry residents in our community. More than 650 attendees purchased soup at the February 26th drive-through event at The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach. Chairpersons were Cordella and Rick Miessau.
“Cordella and I are thrilled that so many neighbors came out to support the mission,” said Rick Miessau. “The pandemic has exposed how easy it is for people to become food insecure, and it is hard to appreciate that one in six people living in Palm Beach County do not know where they will get their next meal. That is why we were honored to lead this event to help alleviate hunger in our own backyard.”
Empty Bowls is a national grassroots event that raises money for hunger relief. The unique event invited the public to “eat simply, so others can simply eat.” Guests received a basic meal of fresh baked bread from Old School Bakery, signature soups donated from local chefs, and water, all served by community leaders and local celebrities at this year’s reimagined drive-through pickup.
“We are elated with this year’s turnout given the pandemic circumstances,” said Jamie Kendall, CEO of the Palm Beach County Food Bank. “We could not address this increased need without community partners like Bethesda-by-the-Sea and the restaurants and volunteers making this event possible. For the past eight years, Bethesda-by-the-Sea has underwritten the event, which has raised more than $600,000 to support our mission.”
The Rev. Burl Salmon, Associate for Christian Formation, Pastoral Care and Outreach at The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, hosted a cooking event before Empty Bowls as an additional fundraising component. Attendees paid $50 per ticket and watched Father Burl cook Curried Carrot Soup and explained why this concoction is his favorite. Additionally, Chef Robert Coleman from Joshua Catering at the Lord’s Place recorded a video of him cooking his famous Lumberjack Chili Soup (with chocolate as a special ingredient!) to drive up even more interest in the event. Chef Robert’s Cooking Corner lives on at https://youtu.be/_m_SR5FQHRU.
“We are grateful to partner with the Palm Beach County Food Bank each year for this important fundraiser, and we are overjoyed that we were able to raise over $100,000 for our neighbors in need,” said Fr. Salmon. “We look forward to Empty Bowls every year, but this is an especially significant time with the increased need due to COVID-19. Service is a part of who we are, and this event is the perfect way to serve others in Jesus’ name.”
The Platinum Ladle sponsors for the 8th Annual benefit included Cheney Brothers, Perdue and Smithfield Farmland. Gold Ladle Sponsors included Axis Redistribution, Pam & Brian McIver and Debbie and Michael Pucillo. Silver Ladle Sponsors included Beyond Meat, Censea, Consorzi, Darnel, Dep River Chips, Dole, F. Garcia, FGF Brands, Florida Natural Growers, Hayes, Nikki and Ira Harris, Kari-Out, Key Impact Sales, King & Prince, Market Partners, Ocean Garden, Old School Bakery, PDS Wealth Management, Serviroli Foods, Sullivan Electric, Swisher Proguard and Wells Fargo.
Soup Sponsors included Bath & Tennis Club, The Breakers Palm Beach, BrickTop’s Palm Beach, Buccan Restaurant, Café Boulud, Cucina Palm Beach, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Everglades Club, Field of Greens, Gourmet Galaxy, Joshua Catering Company, Pastry Heaven, Pistache French Bistro, Sailfish Club of Florida, Trevini Ristorante and Old School Bakery.
Underwriters include Kane Konsulting, LLC, Saputo Dairy Foods, Acme, Bayside, Berry Veal, Dave Matthews, Dunbar Partners, LLC, Federal Fisheries, Bertil & Joyce Kjellgren, Paige Kjellstrom, Penguin, Seafood Marketing, Slade, Lois Pope, Patti Jean Roberts-Blank, Cecie & Rod Titcomb, Paul Serpa, Starkist, Kenneth & Mary Walker and Merchant Cheese.
Historically, the Palm Beach County Food Bank provided access to nutritious food for more than 200,000 hungry Palm Beach County residents every month, but since the pandemic, the need has tripled. The Food Bank is now processing an average of 1.5 million pounds of food per month. The Food Bank procures food from grocery stores, restaurants, food distributors, wholesalers and other sources and provides it to almost 200 local community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens and residential housing programs. Palm Beach County Food Bank programs reach families, school children and seniors, and connect those in need to available benefits and resources.
For more information about the Palm Beach County Food Bank, please visit http://www.pbcfoodbank.org or call 561-670-2518.
The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea believes in serving those in need around the corner and around the world, it is integral to our life of faith. As Jesus reminds us, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.’ Through the Church Mouse and The Shoppe, Bethesda realizes substantial revenue to support our outreach efforts. This financial support is augmented by countless volunteer hours of involvement. Our first priority is education and believe that proper education not only changes the trajectory of one child’s life but also changes the trajectory of generations to follow. Our second priority is food, because 20% of the residents in Palm Beach County suffer food insecurity. Our third priority is shelter, and we provide financial support to agencies with expertise in this necessary work.