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Background: The Soup Bowl Benefit has become a staple event in Bloomington over almost two decades and has grown to provide the largest contribution to the HHFB’s annual operating budget. Proceeds from the event have been used to purchase vehicles, refrigerators and other important items for the HHFB. Last February’s event raised over $100,000, and this year is set to be equally fruitful. In November, 2012, HHFB celebrated its 30th anniversary since opening in Bloomington in 1982 and it has never been more needed than now. Unfortunately, hunger is on the rise throughout Indiana, as in much of the rest of the country, and resources are being stretched thin.
Community Support: The success of the Soup Bowl Benefit can be credited to the wide participation of the Bloomington arts, business and larger communities: potters donate over 600 handmade bowls each year; over a dozen restaurants donate tasty soup; several bakeries donate hearty bread and cookies; local businesses donate door prizes and cash contributions; musicians donate their time and talents; artists donate decorations; dozens of people donate their time to make the event run smoothly; and over 600 people buy tickets and attend the benefit each year. Sponsorships are available. |
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For the past 31 years, the Hoosier Hills Food Bank has been a primary source of food for hungry families in Bloomington and six surrounding counties. The Food Bank serves as the central clearinghouse for restaurants, grocery stores, manufacturers, farmers, and food distributors. It provides over
a hundred local non-profit organizations with food to support programs that benefit ill people, needy families, children, and
senior citizens. Low-income day care centers, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and emergency food pantries use Food Bank
products to feed some 15,000 people every month.
The Soup Bowl Benefit is one part of an expanding network of benefit events known in various locations as the Empty
Bowls Project ; a world-wide grassroots effort to bring communities together to fight hunger.
Its roots: The idea for the Bloomington event originated with Carrie Newcomer and Robert Meitus, who participated in
a similar community gathering during their travels as touring musicians in the early 1990's. Pulling together a small,
but mighty contingent of artists and other friends, they set the wheels in motion to bring the simple, yet elegant idea
of the Soup Bowl to Bloomington 12 years ago.
If you have questions about the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, please contact Dan Taylor, 334-8374 or e-mail hhfb@hhfoodbank.org
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