For immediate release: April 1, 2008

BLOOMSBURG — Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania will hold the sixth annual Empty Bowls Banquet to promote hunger awareness and to raise funds for the local food pantry, the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard. The event is Sunday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom. The banquet is open to the public and admission is $6 for students and $12 for adults.

The Empty Bowls event will feature a variety of chowders and soups donated by local restaurants and served in handcrafted bowls designed and donated by local artists and BU art students. This is the first year that Empty Bowls will be held at lunchtime, according to Tim Pelton from BU’s SOLVE volunteer office.

The banquet will also include a silent auction, a children’s activities corner and free entertainment. Items up for bid during the silent auction include handmade pillows, prints, vases, clocks and quilted bags.

After lunch, participants will be encouraged to take home their one-of-a-kind bowl as a keepsake, Pelton said. “The concept is that those who attend will use a special bowl that they get to take home. When it is empty, it will remind them that some of their neighbors often have empty bowls and will make them more aware of the problem of hunger.”

All proceeds will go to the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard which received more than $4,000 from the 2007 Empty Bowls Banquet. For more information on Empty Bowls, visit www.emptybowls.net, or contact Tim Pelton at tpelton@bloomu.edu.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.