We are asking a few local pastors to decorate/sign a large bowl or platter to use for our silent auction.  The ceramics are located at “Art as You like It” or can be dropped off for you to sign that is if you do not feel artistic.

The ceramics would then be glazed and fired by Charlene (owner of AAYLI) and would be on display and bid on for the Empty Bowl fundraiser.

Please see below for detailed information about the fundraiser, Crisis Nursery and Place of Hope.  We expect between 500-700 people to attend this year’s event!!

Thank you for all your support and helping us to help our local families!

Charlene Ridlon (Art as You like it) contact information is 257-2787(109 Division St. Waite Park)

What: Empty Bowls Soup Feed Benefit participants can show their support of the work hundreds of St. Cloud area students and volunteers who have made a new bowl just for them. Each Soup Feed attendee pays $10 (individual) or $30 (family) and each person receives a handmade bowl, soup, bread, and a beverage, and enjoys a variety of entertainment. Attendees keep their “Benefactor Bowls” after the event as a reminder that someone else’s bowl is always empty.

When: Sunday March 25th, 2011 from 12pm-6pm

Where: The Calvary Community Church, 1200 Roosevelt Rd, St. Cloud

Why:   St. Cloud Empty Bowls is a special community project and event to build awareness and develop support for fighting hunger in our community.

All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to benefit the following agencies that serve those in need: Lutheran Social Services-Crisis Nursery and Place of Hope Ministries.

How People are Getting Involved:

ü  Looking for Sponsors in the local area to donate dollars to help the event become a successful fundraiser.

ü  Students from several area schools, colleges, and churches, plus other volunteers, will be throwing and firing pots all winter. Thousands of new bowls will be crafted for this event.

ü  Several restaurants, bakeries, and food suppliers have agreed to supply food for this event.

ü  Artists from the St. Cloud area have donated an exquisite collection of fine pottery to be provided for a silent auction.

ü  Volunteers from food shelves and their respective social service organizations in metro St. Cloud.

Partner Contacts:

Conni Orth, LSS Crisis Nursery (320) 654-1090

Rev. Carol Jean Smith, Place of Hope Ministries (320) 203-7881

Empty Bowls* is an internationally recognized program designed to draw attention to the problem of hunger in the United States and the World. It is the brainchild of the Imagine/Render Group; a501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to positive and lasting social change through the arts, education, and projects that build the community. In 1990, a high school art teacher in Michigan helped his students solve a problem. They were searching for ways to raise funds to support a food drive. What evolved was a class project to make ceramic bowls for a fund raising meal. Guests were served a simple meal of soup and bread, and were invited to keep the bowl as a reminder of the hunger in the world. By the following year the originators had developed this concept into Empty Bowls.

St. Cloud Area Crisis Nursery

The St. Cloud Area Crisis Nursery serves children from infancy to 12 years of age in Stearns and Benton Counties located in Central Minnesota. Because these families do not have a support system to help during difficult times, services are focused on alleviating parental stress while providing safe quality care for children. The Crisis Nursery program comprehensively addresses the health of each family, emotionally and physically, by offering professional services at no cost.

Crisis Nursery is a community-based, voluntary, non-judgmental and confidential service that responds immediately to parents under stress or experiencing a crisis. A crisis may be many things; sudden illness, family conflict, housing problems, unemployment, financial crisis, or family violence are common examples. Even positive events such as a new job or a new baby can generate stress. We have helped many single mothers having another baby, who have escaped an abuser and have no where else to turn.

Crisis Nursery provides immediate assistance, overnight, in home child care by a licensed provider for up to 72 hours, up to 10 days of child-care, 24 hour crisis hotline, short-term counseling and referral, parent education, support, donations and child transportation to and from provider sites when needed.

Place of Hope

Place of Hope is a multi-faceted outreach to the community and Central Minnesota. Our philosophy is based on the fact that many people are in great need for support and services because of homelessness, poverty, drug addiction, alcoholism and other crisis. We provide hope in the form of a Day Outreach Center with food, free medical care, clothing, personal care items, phone use for job and housing searches, and we provide off-site shelter for those who cannot get into the other shelters in town. People are sheltered at various churches that have been trained by Place of Hope to provide this service.

We also have furniture and household items for people when they do find permanent housing. Another area we have is a residential facility called the Christian Living Center or Living Hope Center. This is a 6-12 month program for those coming off the street or drugs and alcohol, or wanting a place to “recover” their stability and peace of mind.  This is a very structured program and provides a place of hope, healing and restoration for the individual and the families.