By Nathan Ham
A winter storm and slick roads forced the postponement of the Hunger and Health Coalition’s Empty Bowls Fundraiser in March. Now, the event is all set to take place this Saturday at Watauga High School.
For a $20 donation, each person receives a handmade bowl by a Watauga High School student that they can then fill with food from numerous local restaurants. Food donations were provided this year by Stick Boy Bakery and Kitchen, BBQ, Burger & Brews, Woodlands Barbecue Restaurant, Troy’s 105 Diner, Casa Rustica, F.A.R.M Café, Pepper’s Restaurant, the New Public House Restaurant, the Speckled Trout Restaurant and Bottle Shop, Watauga High School advanced foods class and Be Natural Market.
There will also be live music and a silent auction taking place during the event, which will begin at 4:30 p.m. and last until 6 p.m.
Last year, the event raised $11,100, allowing for the agency to provide food for over 2,000 local families in need.
This is the 17th event of the fundraiser. All of the money raised at the event goes to the Hunger and Health Coalition of Boone, which has been around in Watauga County sine 1982. The coalition offers food boxes and fresh fruits and vegetable as well as numerous life-sustaining medications, such as inhalers, anti-depression medicine, anti-anxiety medicine and antibiotics. All of this is done in an effort to make life a little easier on those that are in poverty or struggling to make ends meet.
In 2017, the Hunger and Health Coalition worked hard to help a lot of people in their time of need. They packed a total of 11,385 food boxes, provided 43,916 to-go meals and donated 125,528 pounds of produce. They also fed 215 families in their annual Thanksgiving dinner.
The coalition distributed a total of 18,150 prescriptions that valued at over $2.6 million to their clients.