Blackfalds Food Bank and Beyond Community Food Hub will be hosting a new fundraising event called ‘Empty Bowls’. The soup dinner will be held on October 21st at the Blackfalds Community Centre featuring a silent auction, craft beer, and entertainment.  

“Empty bowls is our first annual fundraiser that we are doing on behalf of the beyond Food Community hub and the Blackfalds Food Bank to try to bring awareness to people of all the food insecurity in our community and the surrounding area as well as kind of have a visual representation of those going without, hence the empty bowl,” said Chris Keim, Executive Director of the Blackfalds Food Bank and Beyond Community Food Hub.  

The money will go towards supporting the food bank. Keim says the food bank is facing growing need every day.  

“We are looking very low, pretty much consistently all the way across our shelves. There's definitely a need for improvement of stock as we are lower than we probably have been in the last two years, even just the other week we ran completely out of flour. Especially going into this time of the year, with Christmas coming up and all of the other financial pressures for those facing food insecurities, it's kind of the real time of need for them to come to us,” explained Keim.  

Keim says need in the community is growing due to the rising cost of living, food, housing and rent.  

“We saw a jump of probably 20 per cent in one month from September to October,” added Keim.  

The event will host a silent auction that will include handmade pottery bowls and several other exciting items.  

“We also have some other beautiful items that have been donated, such as some handcrafted quilts, things like that... There are going to be four delicious flavors of soup available. There's going to be like the smoked cheese and Guinness, Mulligatawny, beef barley, and clam chowder,” added Keim.  

It is a family friendly event and anyone is welcome to take part. Tickets to Empty Bowls cost $20 and you can get them by emailing the food hub at beyondfoodhub@gmail.com or by calling 403-600-1768.