To Fill The Empty Bowls of the Homeless
There is no better sight than a community rallying to do good.
Photos by Michael Stephens Photography
There are more nonprofits per capita in San Luis Obispo County than any other county in all of California. All of these nonprofits are looking for donations, and that means many, many fundraising events. Look at a community calendar and there are on average 1.5 fundraising events scheduled per week.
Among this flood of fundraisers, one annual event has consistently caught my eye. I’ve seen beautiful, unique ceramic bowls pop up on my social media feeds around this same time every year, and would think ‘I want one of those lovely bowls!’. This year, I got one.
I finally attended the popular Empty Bowls fundraiser that benefits the El Camino Homeless Organization (best known as ECHO around the community), now in its fourth year. It’s proven so popular that organizers took this lunchtime event and also created a second evening event to accommodate all those that have wanted to attend. The decision paid off – in 2018 the fundraiser raised approximately $25,000, and this year the fundraiser generated more than $40,000 and hosted over 600 people.
This is the big, annual fundraising event for ECHO, which operates a safe and secure overnight 50 bed shelter to meet the immediate needs of families and individuals who have become homeless. Through its residency program the residents are provided case management services to assist them in securing a job and finding permanent and sustainable housing within three months of entering the shelter. They learn life skills for employment, budgeting and healthier habits, with the goal of this practical support to empower the residents to move in a positive direction while assisting them in acquiring the skills and services they need to become self-sustaining, including stable housing.
Empty Bowls is an international project to fight hunger related problems throughout the world. ECHO benefits from 100% of the proceeds, to use towards its housing and meal programs. Many local potters donated the ceramic soup bowls that guests chose from as they entered the event. It was a beautiful sight to see; from the long table filled with a multitude of bright, colorful bowls, to attendees laughing and interacting with one another as each snuck glances to see which bowls the others had chosen. I spotted and hurried up the line (can I still use the phrase ‘cutting the line’ as an adult?) to grab an extra large muted blue bowl that I could use as a decorative piece in my home, and bonus perk!: I could hold extra large servings of soup.
A ticket to attend the fundraiser was $25, and that included the opportunity to choose a hand-crafted bowl and sample soups and bread donated by twenty local restaurants and bakeries served by ‘local celebrities.’ My favorite soup? The clam chowder from Giovanni’s Fish Market & Galley. My favorite celebrity server? Mayor Steve Martin from Paso Robles, who was always found chatting away with whoever was in front of him, be it a 7-year-old or a 70-year-old. Should I be picking favorites? Probably not, but I did. I will say it was stiff competition in that lineup of soups, bread and smiling faces. There was probably no better lunchtime deal for $25 to get that quality food and company (fundraiser or not). I had the pleasure of taking my mom with me who was visiting from Florida for the week. She couldn’t stop raving about the bread served from Brian’s Artisan Bread Company, so much so that after she left I had to go to Albertson’s, buy some loaves for her, and ship them off to Florida.
Guests took their pottery bowl home as a reminder of all of the ‘empty bowls’ in the world. Wendy Lewis, the President and CEO of ECHO reminded us that “the Empty Bowls event is an annual opportunity for those of us who eat without worry to reach out to our neighbors for whom a meal may be a luxury. In 2018 ECHO served 52,934 meals and helped 112 people find secure housing facing hunger and homelessness in SLO County.” As many of us know by now, San Luis Obispo is facing a crisis for the homeless – there are not enough beds, not enough food, and not enough opportunity to help those that need it the most. Being at the Empty Bowls fundraiser reminded me that there is still so much to be done, but that reputable organizations like ECHO are doing their part to help alleviate the burden of those deeply affected.
I am proud that we have more nonprofits here in our area than any other California county. And I am honored to be surrounded by community members who know there are lives outside of their own that need caring for. It is a beautiful realization that attending a fundraiser one afternoon in a church hall reminded me of.
Here is a complete list of the generous people and businesses that donated their time to help ECHO put on this fundraiser. Please show them your love: Catering by Chef Charlie, Dan’s Grub Shack, Guest House Grill, Streetside Ale House, Pedro’s Mexican Restaurant, Outlaws Bar & Grill, Hofbrau Morro Bay, Giovanni’s Fish Market & Galley, Odyssey World Café, The Full Belly Deli, The Restaurant at Justin Vineyards, Il Cortile, Atascadero Café, McPhee’s Grill, Trumpet Vine Catering, The Wellness Kitchen, Dan Cook, Back Porch Bakery, Brian’s Artisan Bread, Ron Helgerson, Steve Martin, Debbie Arnold, Jerel Haley, Vicky Janssen, Jeannie Malik, Diane McCluskey, Mark Lisa, Jeff Buckingham, Steve Gregory, Cara Crye, Barbie Butz, JoJo Lopez, Heather Newsom, Rachelle Rickard, Mike & Charlotte Bryne, Adam Hill, Emily Reneau, Michael Keleman, Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Davinia Palmer, Brezden Pest Control, Atascadero 76, KSBY, Dimes Media, Justin Vineyards & Winery, Twin Cities Community Hospital, Doug & Kathy Howard, Central Coast Printing, Andros Engineering, County of SLO, The Tribune, SCI Construction, Gerber’s Auto Services, Rabobank, BHE Renewables, Pacific Premier Bank, ABC Church, Digital West, Twin Cities Surveying, Eric Gobler Civil Engineering.
