The Barometer Online

Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Curtis Barnard Brennan Olander, an OSU football player, serves soup at Empty Bowls 2009 in the Valley Football Center on Saturday. Proceeds from the event go to World of Good, Inc. and the OSU Food Emergency Pantry.

The third annual Empty Bowls Benefit held this last Saturday brought in a diverse crowd of people from the community and Oregon State.

The benefit was held to raise money for the OSU Emergency Food Pantry and World of Good, INC. and was dedicated to the global campaign against hunger and presented by the OSU Department of Anthropology and the OSU Athletics Department. The night of food, art and music was meant to promote sustainable food-systems and educate on food security and nutrition.

The doors to the Valley Football Center opened at 5:30 p.m. for the event. Admission prices ranged from $5 to $20, depending on what people were able to donate. A large variety homemade soups, bread and ice cream were featured, plus smoothies and juice provided by Jamba Juice. A silent auction and raffle drawing took place to raise money, and by the end of the night the benefit had raised over $2,500, which surpassed their mark from last year.

Courtney Everson, an anthropology graduate student who oversaw the event, was excited to see the turnout.

"The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and there were people already here. By 6 o'clock the place was filled," Everson said. Over 175 people walked through the doors and made donations.

Homemade soups ranging from garden vegetable to tortilla soup were served up by OSU athletes. Homemade bread was piled up high and ice cream was offered for dessert. The athletes served food to the guests throughout the evening. Student volunteers helped out by cleaning tables and taking away trash.

Robin Crawford, a student taking Medical Anthropology, teamed up with her daughter to volunteer. "My daughter worked earlier and I am helping clean up the second shift. I would be attending this event even if I wasn't volunteering because working against hunger feels so good. I even helped work on their very first fund-raiser back in 2007," Crawford said.

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