The University of Tennessee at Martin alumni, faculty, staff and students are preparing for the 17th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, which will take place online Nov. 15-20.
Empty Bowls is a joint effort by UT Martin and We Care Ministries to fight food insecurity in the area. Patrons enjoy a soup buffet for a $15 donation, and they take the handmade ceramic bowl home.
UTM arts professor, David McBeth, brought Empty Bowls to Martin.
Its first year in Martin, McBeth brought a few hundred bowls. Since then, the event has gotten more popular.
This year, he hopes to have about 1,200 bowls.
McBeth's team raised concerns in August that an in-person format wouldn't be possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's no way we could get a couple hundred people inside without face masks," McBeth said.
In an effort to drum up support for the virtual event, he has a goal to post on his blog every day.
McBeth is also working on a new link for his website: donations, either for We Care or to project support. The event's costs, he said, add up.
"Empty Bowls is always something I've just done... I mean, financially, but it's gotten so big that I wouldn't mind a little help," McBeth said.
The donation link isn't available yet.
According to a UTM press release, donors will receive a soup bowl for $15 or a large serving bowl for a $20 donation to We Care.
Patrons can go online to see images of available bowls starting Nov. 15. Curbside pickup will be on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 12-3 at the Fine Arts Building.
For more information about the 17th Annual Empty Bowls, visit their website or contact McBeth at 731-881-7416.