More than 170 members of the community attended ALIVE‘S second Empty Bowls fundraiser on Saturday, November 12, raising more than $46,000 for ALIVE! food programs. Each attendee selected a handmade bowl donated by the Northern Virginia Community College-AlexandriaFine Arts Department and the Alexandria Clay CoOp.
Fifteen restaurants participated in providing the meal of soup, bread and dessert – with a special addition this year of barbecue sliders. Guests enjoyed music provided by Provázek Quartet from George Washington Middle School and T.C. Williams High School Minnie Howard Campus, and Ein Lanu Z’man from Agudas Achim Congregation. In attendance were elected officials Mayor Allison Silberberg, Vice Mayor Justin Wilsonand Councilmember Tim Lovain.
“The rising cost of living in Alexandria means that more and more families are making nutritional sacrifices for themselves and their children just to make ends meet,” said ALIVE! Executive Director Diane Charles. “We are grateful to have joined together as a community to make a significant contribution to hunger programs that are responding to the needs of these families.”
ALIVE! thanks many business, corporate, congregation and personal sponsors who supported Empty Bowls, among them The Jen WalkerRealtor Team, Kim and Patrick Anderson, Whole Foods Market – Old Town, Wells Fargo, King Street Wireless and John Marshall Bank. Funds raised are directed toward these needed community hunger programs: ALIVE! monthly food distribution program that reaches over 2,000 individuals on one Saturday a month at three locations throughout the City of Alexandria and a home delivery program that provides groceries to the elderly, disabled and other homebound residents. ALIVE! also participates in a weekend care bag program in partnership with a few of Alexandria’s public schools and provides shelf-stable food to several smaller food pantries in the City.
Founded in 1969, ALIVE! is the largest private safety net for people in need in the City of Alexandria, addressing short-term to long-term needs for those less fortunate in the community.
ALIVE! serves thousands of Alexandrians annually with food; shelter; low-cost early childhood education and childcare; financial help for rent, utilities, medical care and other critical needs; and deliveries of donated furniture and housewares.
Empty Bowls is an international grassroots program encouraging local artists and organizations to work together to raise hunger awareness and help feed those who are hungry in their own communities.
