Foodbank of Santa Barbara County Hosts 19th Annual Lompoc Empty Bowls Community Fundraiser
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(Lompoc, CA) — The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will host the 19th annual Lompoc Empty Bowls fundraiseron Wednesday, July 31st at the Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center at 1120 W Ocean Avenue,with seatings at 11:30am and 12:30pm.
Tickets cost $25 and are available online at donate.foodbanksbc.org/Lompoc2024. Tickets may also be purchased in Lompoc at the Chapter Two Bookstore at 1137 North H Street, Suite Q (from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm) and at the Vandenberg Village Water District Office at 3745 East Constellation Road (from Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm).
The Foodbank will use all proceeds to provide healthy groceries, fresh produce, and nutrition education to Lompoc residents facing food insecurity. In 2023, the Foodbank distributed 1,219,626 pounds of food to 24,147 unduplicated individuals within the Lompoc community, through 18 programs by non-profit and faith-based partners, in addition to our own direct-to-client programs.
Guests at Empty Bowls will choose a unique, hand-painted bowl and enjoy a simple lunch of soup, bread, and water (included with the ticket). There will be opportunities to participate in an opportunity drawing, enter a silent auction, and purchase beautiful succulents. The community-based drawing and silent auction will offer prizes such as handmade artisan creations, food, wines, and more!
Entertainment will include a ceramic wheel bowl-making demonstration by Mike McNutt of Allan Hancock College’s ceramics program.
Attendees will enjoy the delightful process of choosing from hundreds of one-of-a-kind bowls – painted or created by community members throughout Lompoc. Many of the bowls were glazed by the art students at Lompoc Valley Middle School. Lompoc residents also made bowls at Bowl Painting Parties hosted by the volunteer led Empty Bowls Committee.
Each guest will take home their beautiful bowl as a reminder of Empty Bowls’ mission to provide food for our neighbors facing food insecurity.
Gourmet soups will be donated by local chefs and restaurants including Alfie’s Fish and Chips, American Host, Cajun Kitchen, Eddie’s Grill (Village), El Toro Bronco, Floriano’s, Full of Life Flatbread (Los Alamos), Lompoc Valley Medical Center, LVMC Convalescent Care Center, Mason Bar & Kitchen, Mi Amore, Rooster Creek Tavern, Savory and Sweet Eats, Southside Coffee, Village Coffee Stop and Catering, and more to come!
Leftover soup from the event will be donated to community programs that feed the hungry in the city of Lompoc.
Community members who wish to volunteer for Lompoc Empty Bowls (set-up, service, clean-up and more) may sign up at www.FoodbankSBC.org/VolunteerNorthCounty or email Kelly Smith at KSmith@FoodbankSBC.org.
The Foodbank is grateful to the following Sponsors of the 2024 Lompoc Empty Bowls: CenCal Health, Coast Hills Credit Union, Starbuck-Lind Mortuary, Imerys, Mechanics Bank, Allan Hancock College, Santa Barbara Foundation, Lompoc Valley Medical Center, RARE Electric, Wealth Enhancement Group, Village Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Ahmad Nooristani, Dr. Rahim Raoufi, Prolink, Apollo MD, Maureen Tolson, Patricia and Steve Jordan, the Holdsambeck Family, and Barbara and James Raggio.
About the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County transforms hunger into health through good nutrition and food literacy. The Foodbank provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 200 partner agencies, nutrition education programs and food distribution sites. In Santa Barbara County, one in three people receive support from the Foodbank – 38% of the individuals we serve are children.
For more information, please visit FoodbankSBC.org or contact the Foodbank at (805) 967-5741.