Hopkins School District #270

01/11/2011

Community members of all ages are invited to the 13th annual Empty Bowls fund-raiser, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins. This year's community co-chairs are Michelle Beigsrud, DDS, and Timothy Bergstedt, DDS. The funds raised will support community food shelves—ResourceWest (formerly the Hopkins Minnetonka Family Resource Center), and the Intercongregation Communities Association (ICA) Food Shelf.

The fund-raising goal for this year's Empty Bowls is $60,000. This year's SUPERVALU Challenge to the Community is to raise $40,000 in sponsorships before the day of the event.

Attendees are invited to:

• choose a handmade ceramic bowl from more than 1,200 bowls created by Hopkins area artists and students as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the community;
• enjoy local entertainment and a simple meal of soup and bread donated by local businesses; and

• make a donation.

For information about becoming a sponsor, or to volunteer time or resources, please contact Barb Westmoreland at 952-988-4069.

The needs are great in our community

The needs are great in the Hopkins Public Schools community. Consider these facts:

•  33.7% of Hopkins Public Schools students receive free or reduced price lunches this year, a 2.2% increase since last year.
• Intercongregation Communities Association (ICA Food Shelf) provided 9,262 food assists in 2010, a 35% increase over 2009. These food services helped 1,764 households receive 1.2 million pounds of food in 2010. ICA distributed financial assistance of $429,614 for rent, mortgage and utilities.
• ResourceWest (formerly Hopkins Minnetonka Family Resource Center) connected over 9,000 people to resources in 2010, a 20% increase from 2009. We distributed 1,400 Second Harvest commodity food packages and 300 emergency food bags for ICA. We connected over 2,000 people to food programs and economic assistance programs, an increase of 33% from 2009.

"We have seen a huge swell in need, and fervently serve groceries to one family every 15 minutes," said Cathy Maes, ICA Food Shelf executive director. "Ending hunger may never be a reality, but when businesses, food suppliers, donors, and communities work together we can be confident that if someone is hungry, help is readily available."

"These are our friends and neighbors," said Judy Elling, ResourceWest executive director. "Empty Bowls helps us help our neighbors. The money raised helps put food on their table and hope in their hearts."