For immediate release: March 13, 2009

BLOOMSBURG — The Empty Bowls Banquet, a fundraiser for the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard, will be held Sunday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania's Kehr Union Ballroom. The fee is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children under 5 years old.

The event, sponsored by BU's SOLVE office (Students Organized to Learn through Volunteerism and Employment), is the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard's largest, single-day fundraiser. It is part of a national movement by Volunteers in Service to America to raise money to fight hunger and promote community art and action. All participants receive a bowl when arriving and may keep the bowl as a reminder of Empty Bowls' mission. All bowls are hand-decorated by community members.

The soups and bread are donated by local restaurants, and any leftover food will be packaged and given to the food cupboard. As part of the banquet, a silent auction will be held. Prizes will include gourmet desserts and kitchenware made and donated by local artists. Entertainment will be provided and BU education majors who are members of the Pennsylvania State Education Association will set up a kids' corner and offer activities.

For more information or to volunteer, contact the SOLVE Office at (570) 389-4788 or at stvolser@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.