In lieu of the traditional community fundraisers held in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc each year, The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is building awareness about hunger and food insecurity locally and raising funds to end hunger in Santa Barbara County with Empty Bowls 2020, a virtual celebration held Nov. 14-23.
Empty Bowls 2020 includes opportunities for everyone to participate. It incorporates donations, which will be doubled by corporate, philanthropic and individual sponsors; support for local restaurants, which usually donate soup to the live fundraising events; handcrafted artist bowls available as gifts with donations; and #EmptyBowls2020, an online celebration individuals can participate in by sharing favorite Empty Bowls memories on social media.
“Thousands of us across Santa Barbara County look forward to and enjoy the unique spirit of Empty Bowls in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc each year,” said Foodbank CEO Erik Talkin.
“It’s sad that we can’t be together to savor the undeniable love that permeates the in-person events, but we are happy to offer opportunities for everyone to participate in keeping the spirit strong under this year’s unusual circumstances, to support local people who are facing hunger and the restaurants that usually donate soup,” he said.
The event kicks off with Fill the Foodbank! Drive-thru Food Drive, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Community members may drop off food in Santa Barbara at the Foodbank warehouse, 4554 Hollister Ave. (next to Ben Page Youth Center); and in Santa Maria at 1303 S. Bradley Ave. (in Trader Joe’s parking lot).
Most needed food items include nut butters, canned protein, canned tomato/pasta sauce, pasta, whole grain, low-sugar cereals, rice and beans.
Fresh or frozen turkeys or chickens can also be dropped off to help meet the Foodbank’s 2020 Turkey Drive goal of 4,000 birds to ensure everyone in the community facing hunger can have a wholesome holiday meal.
Community members who usually attend Empty Bowls, and who are able, are encouraged to donate the price of their tickets this year. All donations will be doubled by community, corporate and philanthropic sponsors.
“The idea is that you take the bowl you got at the event and leave it empty on your Thanksgiving table. That reminds us that there are so many people in so many communities that are food insecure and need help. And that has not [ever] been more true than now,” said Danyel Dean, Santa Barbara Empty Bowls Founder and 23-year event committee chair, reflecting on the origins of the nearly 25-year tradition and its relevance for today.
Dean and longtime committee member Merrillee Ford continue their tradition of creating handmade, unique, ceramic artist bowls. Fifty such bowls, representing many of Santa Barbara’s notable local landmarks, are available as gifts with suggested donations of $1,000.
New to Empty Bowls this year, are 20 hand-lathed wooden bowls by local teen artist Parker Andelman. For her mitzvah project this year, she set a goal to create one-of-a-kind bowls to donate to the fundraiser.
“I am passionate about woodworking. I started woodworking when I was 11 when my mom signed me up for a woodworking summer camp at Dos Pueblos High School led by Chris Mollkoy,” Andelman said.
“I didn’t want to do the camp at first, but after the first day I was hooked,” she said. “Later that year, I got a lathe and found a great mentor. Since then I’ve been woodworking in my backyard. Most of the time, I create bowls by turning them on my lathe.”
Andelman’s bowls are available as a gift with a suggested donation of $500.
Normally, Empty Bowls is only possible thanks to the generosity of chefs and restaurants throughout the county who donate gallons of gourmet soup, as varied as pozole verde, sweet pea soup with mint, butternut squash and bacon soup with sage, zuppa con lenticchie e salsicce, and pappa al pomodoro, vegan red lentil, and tri-tip chili.
This year, as economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis hit small businesses hardest, the Foodbank urges the community to patronize local restaurants that usually contribute soup by ordering take-out; dining outdoors with physical distancing; buying gift cards for use when the community safely reopens; or imagining how to engage caterers for essential workers or other acceptable events under county guidelines.
Restaurants that have donated soup to past Empty Bowls events are:
In Santa Barbara:
Beachside Bar-Café, Belmond El Encanto, Benchmark Eatery, Four Seasons Biltmore, Bluewater Grill, Bouchon, Ca’Dario, Finch & Fork, Food Liaison, Fresco Café, Helena Avenue Bakery, Jane (Santa Barbara), The Lark, Loquita, Lucky’s, Montecito Coffee Company, Olio e Limone Ristorante, Opal Restaurant & Bar, Pascale’s Kitchen, Rosewood Miramar Beach, San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara Yacht Club, Savoy Café & Deli, Stella Mare’s Bistro, The Black Sheep, The Nugget, The Secret Ingredient, Toma Restaurant & Bar, and Zookers Restaurant.
In Santa Maria:
Blast 825 Brewery, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chef Rick’s, Chic-fil-A, Cubanissimo, Far Western Tavern, Jack’s in Old Orcutt, Jaffe Café, Joy by the Spoonful, Kay’s Country Kitchen, Lido’s Concessions, Moxie Café, Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Radisson Vintner’s Grill, Santa Maria Country Club, Santa Maria Inn, Shaw’s, Splash Café, Testa Catering, Trattoria Uliveto, A Street Café and Zoe’s Hawaiian BBQ.
The Foodbank sends condolences to the Zoe’s BBQ family for the recent loss of owner Rex Matsunaga.
In Lompoc:
Alfie’s Fish & Chips, American Host, Angela’s Restaurant, Cajun Kitchen, Fresh Manna Catering, Hilton Garden Inn – Valle Eatery & Bar, La Botte, Mariscos El Palmar, Mi Amore, Mission Club, Sissy’s Uptown Café, Tom’s Burgers, The Village Coffee Shop, and Wild West Pizza.
Everyone is invited to participate on social media by posting and sharing favorite Empty Bowls memories using the hashtag #EmptyBowls2020. By tagging the Foodbank, others can share in the caring and fun that are signature fare at the annual events.
Had the Foodbank been able to host live events in 2020, this would have been the 23rd annual Santa Barbara Empty Bowls and the 19th Annual Santa Maria Empty Bowls events. The 16th Annual Lompoc Empty Bowls was scheduled for March 28, but had to be canceled due to restrictions on large gatherings.
Empty Bowls 2020 sponsors include Foodbank Champion The Wood-Claeyssens Foundation; Foodbank Community Supporters: Aera Energy LLC, Bank of America, Busy Bee Organics, CenCal Health, Central Coast Agriculture, Frank Schipper Construction, Pacific Premier Bank, The Towbes Foundation, Mary and Don Thompson.
Also, Union Bank of California and Philip and Carolyn Wyatt; Foodbank Family & Friends: ExxonMobil, Imerys, Mechanics Bank and Vivid Financial Management; Foodbank Program Supporters: Allan Hancock College, Assisted Home Health/Hospice, The Barbara Ford Family, Baroda Farms, Inc., Bethel Lutheran Church.
Scott Dahlquist, D.D.S., Danyel Dean and Peter Castellanos, Dignity Health Marian Medical Foundation, Farm Credit West, Mary Harvey, Dr. Rob and Heidi Holdsambeck, Leon and Elizabeth Olson, and Jack Tiethof and Anita Sy; and Foodbank contributors Animal Care Hospital, Campbell Ranches.
CoastHills Community Foundation, Robert Coe, Community Bank of Santa Maria, Denmat Corporation, Ray and Alice Down, Engen Enterprises/Ventures, Inc., First American Title, Erik and Judy Frost, Jolene’s Elegant Hair Fashion, Kendall-Shepard Eye Center.
James Raggio, Starbuck-Link Mortuary, Surf Connection, Village Veterinary Clinic and Wiser Property Management & Sales.
For more information, contact the Foodbank, 805-967-5741 ext. 104, or visit www.foodbanksbc.org.