Our Daily Bread’s Christina Garris and Lisa Whetzel with bowls created by students at Robinson Secondary School that will be available at Empty Bowls on February 23.
Contact: Lisa Whetzel
703-273-8829
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Empty Bowls Fundraiser on February 23
Local Artists and High School Students Make Handcrafted Bowls
To Help Immediate Food Needs in Fairfax County
Note: Video and Photo opportunities available with students making bowls for event.
FAIRFAX, VA. (February 8, 2010) – With a waiting list of more than 90 families in need of food, Fairfax County non-profit Our Daily Bread will hold a fundraiser on February 23, 2010 to help feed the hungry in the county.
Handcrafted bowls made by local artists and high school students will be sold at the Empty Bowls event for $25 or more. Attendees will receive soup and bread as a reminder of the plight of hungry people in Fairfax County. Music by the Fairfax Saxophone Quartet and a silent auction will also be part of the evening.
Proceeds from Our Daily Bread’s 2009 Empty Bowls event, combined with other grants and donations, helped expand the organization’s Food Program by 73 percent, providing food to 345 families last year. In the past several years, ODB only had the capacity to serve approximately 200 families per year.
“Last year’s Empty Bowls event was so successful that we were able to serve more families than ever. It is a great evening to be together with so many people who share in our goal of fighting hunger in the county,” said Lisa Whetzel, Our Daily Bread’s Executive Director.
“Even though Fairfax County is repeatedly ranked as one of the wealthiest counties in America, families continue to struggle and the current economy is increasing the need for food and financial assistance programs,” added Whetzel. “With so many more families on ODB’s Food Program waiting list, we are hopeful that this year’s event will raise even more funds to help these families.”
Empty Bowls is a nationally recognized grassroots program that is designed to help local organizations fight hunger, raise awareness about the issues of hunger and to help communities change attitudes so that hunger will no longer exist.
Our Daily Bread is a volunteer-based organization focused on easing the plight of low-income residents in the Fairfax County area of Virginia. It draws volunteers from local faith-based groups, community organizations, businesses, schools and universities. For information visit www.our-daily-bread.org.
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Our Daily Bread | 703-273-8829 | 10777 Main Street, Suite 320, Fairfax, VA 22030 | www.our-daily-bread.org | CFC #82471
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