November 6, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

‘Empty Bowl Dinner’ at CHC helps local families in need
by LISA MIXON

?Some of the hundreds of guests are seen are last year’s Empty Bowl event at Chestnut Hill College, which raised more than $10,000 to help provide food and shelter to homeless families.

Chestnut Hill College, in partnership with the Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (NPIHN), will sponsor the 10th Annual Empty Bowl Dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Sorgenti Arena at 9601 Germantown Ave.

The Empty Bowl Dinner, a popular event at the college and with the surrounding community, is the annual fundraising dinner for the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, a non profit organization whose mission is to provide food and shelter to local homeless families.

Local businesses, schools, and potters donate clay bowls, while local restaurants donate soups, breads, and desserts. For a small fee, diners can select a hand-crafted bowl and enjoy fare from over 56 restaurants and bakeries in the Philadelphia area. At the end of the evening, diners take home their empty bowl as a reminder of those who face hunger everyday.

The dinner also serves as a gathering for the 1,200 volunteers, current and former guest families, congregations and supporters of NPIHN and the College. “It’s such a pleasure to reunite with friends we have supported along their journey from homelessness to stability,” said Rachel Falkove, NPIHN’s executive director.

“By heightening community awareness that being homeless is not just a problem in poor communities, but a growing problem everywhere, we can do more to help. Our network of volunteers demonstrates that by everyone taking a small amount of responsibility, we can strive to make a difference. We are grateful that Chestnut Hill College unites so many in our community by hosting the Empty Bowl Dinner each year.”

Chestnut Hill College students volunteer as servers for the event, which attracted over 700 attendees last year and raised over $10,000 from the dinner. All proceeds from the event are donated to NPIHN. Mike McGrath, of WHYY’s “You Bet Your Garden,” will be a special guest that evening.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students and children, and can be purchased in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215.248.7095. Free parking is available at Chestnut Hill College, and a shuttle will be available starting at 5 p.m. from Mount St. Joseph Academy, Flourtown, and Our Mother of Consolation Church, 23 East Chestnut Hill Ave.

Here is a list of Chestnut Hill area restaurants, bakeries, schools and businesses that are donating food and services to the event. (There are also many from other areas, but they are too numerous to mntion here.): Bocelli’s Italian Restaurant, Cafette, Chestnut Grill, Cosimo’s Pizza Café, The French Bakery, Osaka Japanese Restaurant, Rollers Flying Fish, Solaris Grille, Bredenbeck’s Bakery, Metropolitan Bakery, The Night Kitchen, Cake, Cin Cin, Prudential Fox & Roach/Chestnut Hill Office, Springside School, St. Pauls Episcopal Church Bakers, Shundeez Restaurant and Market, Flourtown Presbyterian Church Youth Group, Brittingham’s Irish Pub, General Lafayette Inn & Brewery, Vino’s Pizza and Flannery’s Grove Deli.

Lisa Mixon is Media Relations Manager for Chestnut Hill College.