November 4, 2009

New Empty Bowls Luncheon Info

Author: Sasha Hausman

The other day I went out to lunch with a friend, something that we all do throughout the week. The bill ended up totaling $35 for the both of us. I paid the bill and left a tip without thinking anything of it. Then I realized that the same $35 that bought two lunches could have provided nearly 150 lunches to our hungry neighbors in need. Imagine that!

With that said, in just 5 days we will be having our 20th annual Empty Bowls Symbolic Soup Kitchen Luncheon! I invite you to join Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, as we remember and support those who may not have as much to be thankful for this holiday season.

What:    The 20th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon, presented by General Mills

When:   Tuesday, November 10, 2009 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.)

Where:  Embassy Suites Orlando Downtown—191 East Pine St. Orlando FL 32801

Why:     To benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and its partner agencies

Tickets to this wonderful, feel-good event are $35 each and will provide you with a traditional soup kitchen meal consisting of bread, salad, and soup.  There will be an amazing saxophone player and vocalist.

Plus every guest in attendance will receive a unique, handcrafted bowl created by local area students or artists!  If you have attended this event in the past, you already know what a meaningful kickoff it can be for your holiday season–so please join us again and bring a friend!

And check out our awesome raffle prizes!

• Cheesecake Factory Gift Certificates
• SAK Comedy Club Admissions
• Publix Gift Cards
• Enzian Theatre tickets
• Universal 2 Park Passes
• Seaworld tickets
• An actual piece of the original Hollywood Sign in California
• Dwight Howard autographed basketball

Order tickets online!

Tables are available for $315 for a reserved table of 10, or $1,000 for 20 “preferred” seats and logo in our program. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 407-843-5009, ext. 25.

I know I am pumped about Empty Bowls, and hopefully I will see everyone out there!

See you on Tuesday!

Sasha Hausman
Events Specialist

October 19, 2009

Produce to the People!

Author: Brady Koch

This past Saturday morning we piloted our Produce to the People program at Victory World Outreach in Maitland. The goal of Produce to the People is to deliver a truckload of produce directly to a community site where it will be handed our immediately by a team of volunteers from one of our partner feeding agencies. We wanted to focus on fresh produce for this program because that can be the most difficult for our clients to have access to on a limited budget.

For our pilot, we delivered two palates of cucumbers, two palates or corn, four palates of grapefruit juice, two palates of Grocery Alliance items, and two palates of apple slices. It was a chilly morning, but Victory World Outreach estimates that they served a little over 200 people.

Volunteers were the key to success. There were at least 16 volunteer on hand. They had an assembly line set up that would make Henry Ford proud. In addition to handing out food, volunteers would help people to their cars, talk to people in the waiting line, and direct traffic. 

Thanks to everyone who helped organize this event. Big thanks to Victory World Outreach. They went way above and beyond in organizing the distribution. This Saturday we’re in Kissimmee to try it all over again with some changes here and there.

We’ll be testing out this program two more times this month in Kissimmee and East Orange County. We’ll let you know how it goes!

Upcoming Produce to the People Pilots

October 24th
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Solid Rock
Church of God
1904 North Michigan Ave.
Kissimmee, Florida 34774

October 31st
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
New Covenant Church of Central Florida
990 Belvedere Road
Orlando, Florida 32820

Below are some photos from the event: