PROGRAMS > EMPTY BOWLS

Empty Bowls 2010, presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

You are invited to be a part of this wonderful evening of arts and philanthropy where you will enjoy a modest meal of soup and bread while doing your part to make a difference in the lives of others.

Empty Bowls 2010 will take place at Fort Calgary on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 from 5:00 - 7:00pm. Doors will open at 4:30pm and guests will be welcome to bid on a selection of handmade bowls and other items in our silent auction.

The recipients of the proceeds from Empty Bowls 2010 will be The Safe Haven Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping give Calgary’s vulnerable children and youth their future back.  All proceeds generated through ticket purchases for the event will directly benefit The Safe Haven Foundation.

To order tickets, please complete the Empty Bowls 2010 Ticket Order Form and return it to Child and Youth Friendly Calgary.

Empty Bowls

Empty Bowls 2010 is a youth-run project that strives to raise awareness around the issue of youth hunger and homelessness. The YVC Steering Committee, made up of 25 youth volunteers, plans the event, working in partnership with organizations such as the Wildflower Arts Centre, Fort Calgary and Ceramics Canada. In the months leading up to Empty Bowls, volunteers of all ages create beautiful ceramic bowls which are used at the mock soup kitchen event. At the end of the evening, guests take their handmade bowls home as a reminder of youth who go hungry each day in the city of Calgary. Each year, the YVC Steering Committee chooses a different youth organization to receive the proceeds from Empty Bowls.

• Empty Bowls 1998 – Alberta Youth in Care and Custody Network
• Empty Bowls 1999 – The Back Door
• Empty Bowls 2000 – Alberta Safe House
• Empty Bowls 2001 – EXIT Community Outreach
• Empty Bowls 2002 – Avenue 15
• Empty Bowls 2003 – Street Teams/Safe House
• Empty Bowls 2004 – EXIT Community Outreach
• Empty Bowls 2005 - YWCA Safe Haven
• Empty Bowls 2006 - Boys and Girls Club of Calgary - Avenue 15 and Side Door
• Empty Bowls 2007 - Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids
• Empty Bowls 2008 - John Howard Society - Raido House
• Empty Bowls 2009 - Yahoo Youth Housing

spirit of Empty Bowls:

There is a story about a man who left this earth and was taken on a tour of the inner realms.  He was shown a room where he saw a large group of hungry people trying to eat dinner, but because the spoons that they were trying to eat with were longer than their arms, they remained frustrated.  “This,” his guide told him, “is hell.”  “That’s terrible!” exclaimed the man; “Please show me heaven!”  “Very well,” agreed the guide, and on they went.  When they opened Heaven’s door, the man was perplexed to see what looked very much like the same scene: there was a group of people with spoons longer than their arms.  As he looked more closely, however, he saw happy faces and full tummies, for there was one important difference: the people in Heaven had learned to feed each other.

- The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, by Allan Cohen