Local Organization Fights Hunger with Empty Bowls

Boxes of empty bowls are stacked high at Haven from Hunger's food pantry in Peabody. Some are full of bowls hand-painted by community members. Others contain plain white bowls waiting to be decorated at one of the Haven's upcoming bowl-painting events. The decorated pottery will be kiln-fired and used at nonprofit's Empty Bowl Dinner in May to raise funds for its hunger-relief programs.

On Wednesday, April 5, the Stonewood Tavern,139 Lynnfield Street, in Peabody, will host a fundraiser and bowl-painting event from 6 to 9 p.m. The restaurant will donate to 20 percent of all food sales to Haven from Hunger, and each guest will be able to paint a bowl for free.
On Friday, March 30, and Friday, April 7, the Haven will host bowl-painting events from 7 to 9 p.m. at its offices at 71 Wallis Street, in Peabody. Seats fill up fast for these family-friendly evenings, so advance registration is requested. To register, email paint@havenfromhunger.org or register online at www.havenfromhunger.org.

At the Empty Bowl Dinner on Thursday, May 4, the colorful bowls will be on display at Peabody Veterans' Memorial High School from 4 to 7 p.m. For a $15 donation ($10 for children 10 and under), each guest will select a hand-decorated bowl, enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread, and take the bowl home as a reminder of the fight against hunger in our communities.
Empty Bowl events are held nationwide to raise funds for local hunger-relief organizations such as Haven from Hunger, which provides free, nutritious food to low-income families and individuals who struggle to put food on the table. The Haven's services include a food pantry for residents of Salem, Peabody, and Lynnfield residents, community dinners, free summer meals for low-income children, and holiday grocery boxes. In 2016, the Haven distributed 1.09 million pounds of food through the food pantry, served 11,410 meals in its dining room, and served 9,500 free summer meals to low-income children in Peabody.