By Becky Volk
Social Media Specialist, Tarrant Area Food Bank
A Celebration of Fine Art, Food and Community Involvement
Excited chatter filled the air. Blue and green balloons danced above beautiful displays of decorative bowls. The aroma of hot soups and bisques tantalized guests as they patiently waited for the clock to tick down to start the 14th Annual Empty Bowls, benefiting Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB).
Repeat visitors and newcomers from Fort Worth and beyond had the opportunity to choose from thousands of handcrafted keepsake bowls donated by North Texas artists. Decorative bowls created from a variety of media could be found at the event— wood, pottery, glass, metal, fabric and more. The event took place on Friday, Feb. 19, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.
Empty Bowls Highlights
Empty Bowls offered guests the opportunity to place bids in the popular Celebrity Bowls Live Auction for a chance to win bowls signed by their favorite famous personalities. Exclusive bowls created by local artists were available for purchase at the Gallery Bowl table. Art from the Heart, an event favorite, offered decorative bowls made by some of the littlest hands, but biggest hearts, in Fort Worth.
Area chefs and restaurants held nothing back; head chefs and their staff personally offered guests savory soup, chili, bisque, burrito bowl and dessert samples from festive displays.
Live demonstrations by artisans from the Woodturners of North Texas, SiNaCa Studios and Ken Orr Studios took place during the event. Raffle ticket holders had the chance to win one of three prizes: a 40-inch flatscreen television, Dallas Mavericks tickets or four one-way Southwest airlines tickets.
Thank You
Everyone at TAFB would like to thank our 14th annual Empty Bowls guests. Each regular admission ticket holder will help us provide food for up to 300 meals to children, families and seniors in need, while VIP ticket holders will help provide food for up to 750 meals. We couldn’t help North Texans in need without support from our community.
A special thank you goes out to all 2016 Empty Bowls sponsors including presenting co-sponsors GM Financial and Albertsons/Tom Thumb.
TAFB would like to acknowledge and thank all artists who donated their treasured creations to Empty Bowls. We extend our gratitude to area chefs and restaurants for sharing their delicious cuisine with Empty Bowls guests.
We truly appreciate Empty Bowls Committee Chair Ruth Ann Kearley and Empty Bowls Committee Artist Chair Janet Rodriguez for their dedication and support of TAFB’s mission. A special thank you goes out to all of the TAFB Empty Bowls committee members for donating their time and talents to help make this fundraiser a huge success as well as an event that our community looks forward to year after year.
