Apr 23, 2024

Empty Bowls 2024 Wrap-Up: Thanks to Our Amazing Community!

Updated: May 2, 2024

Thank you to Mike Gausling and One Putt Ventures, our Presenting Sponsor!

On Saturday, April 13th, we hosted our annual Empty Bowls event at the Second Harvest Food Bank warehouse in Nazareth. The evening was a resounding success, culminating in a fundraising total of over $100,000! These funds are earmarked for the purchase of a new refrigerated truck, which will significantly enhance our ability to deliver fresh food across our six-county service area.

The event kicked off with a cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres, setting a lively tone for the evening. Guests had the opportunity to interact with our staff at various program tables, learning about our diverse initiatives such as Senior Food Boxes, MilitaryShare, Volunteering, SNAP, The Seed Farm, Nutrition Education, Warehousing, Food Sourcing and Rescue. We hosted a musical performance from Rachel Hill, and each table featured a silent auction with items ranging from a cozy cabin stay to Phantom tickets and a hot air balloon ride.

Dawn Godshall, Executive Director of Community Action Lehigh Valley, opened the evening with a warm welcome, followed by a heartfelt thanks to our sponsors. In her opening speech, Dawn mentioned, “This warehouse has allowed Second Harvest to more than quadruple its refrigerated and frozen storage capacity. But even that hasn’t proven to be sufficient. Last year, Second Harvest distributed almost 15 million pounds of food and the need continues to grow. We need larger trucks, more trucks, more racking, and even more space to meet the need that presents itself each year, each month, each day. The rising cost of rents, food and other living expenses has dramatically increased in the past few years and we’re not sure when or if that will get better. There are those who are experiencing actual food insecurity, and there are also those who need to use their food money to pay for other expenses they can’t afford, like those higher living expenses. We have said for years that this is the one program that Community Action runs that we wish we didn’t have to.  But it’s both a necessary evil, and a blessing to those whom we are able to serve.”

We also acknowledged the elected officials and their representatives in the room:

-Megan Beste from Congresswoman Susan Wild’s office

-Lehigh County Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghe (and Community Action Board member)

-Easton City Council Member, Crystal Rose (and Community Action Board member)

-Laura Collins from Bethlehem Mayor Willie Reynolds’ office 

Dinner, catered buffet style by local Chef Mark Yundt of Marquee Kitchen, offered an array of delicious local food, including vegan and vegetarian options.

The formal program began with remarks from Allison Czapp, Associate Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank. Additional insights were provided by Lou Cinquino, Board Director of Community Action Lehigh Valley, and Amy Gearhart, Pantry Director for Hamlin Assembly of God, who shared compelling stories of individuals facing economic hardships that visit her pantry location on a regular basis.

One of the highlights of the evening was our dessert auction, featuring contributions from numerous local bakeries and restaurants such as chocolate cake from Cake As Canvas, blueberry lemon cake from Crumbs Cake Studio, a pastry tray from Jumbars, cupcakes from Egypt Star Bakery, red velvet cake from Mia & Maddie’s, ricotta cheesecake from Switchback Pizza, chocolate brownies from Macungie Mountain Herb Farm, and a variety of other desserts! Each of our 20 tables at the event were able to bid for their chance at first pick of dessert. From the dessert auction alone, we managed to raise $22,000! This festive portion of the evening showcased the community’s spirit of sharing and generosity.

We were also proud to present two significant awards during the evening. UNFI was honored with the Corporate Mission Partner Award for 2024, recognizing their commitment to people and the planet by distributing natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional groceries. Meanwhile, Guardian Insurance received the Humanitarian Award for their exceptional commitment to volunteerism, having contributed more volunteer hours in 2024 than any other company working in our warehouse.

The event concluded with closing remarks, the exciting announcement of our total funds raised, and numerous photo opportunities with staff, the Community Action Board, and the Second Harvest Food Bank Advisory Board. We extend our thanks to the local officials, sponsors, community members, and food justice advocates who attended our Empty Bowls even this year!

A special thanks also goes to our Development Team for their planning and execution of a successful fundraising event:

Joanne Anderson, Senior Development Officer for Second Harvest Food Bank

Ruby Gillard-Jones, Database Administrator

Barbara Kochard, Associate Executive Director of Development for Community Action Lehigh Valley

Ela Madrazo, Director of Marketing and Communications for Community Action Lehigh Valley

January Misero, Development Officer for Second Harvest Food Bank

Michaela Smith, Marketing Coordinator for Community Action Lehigh Valley

Wendy Wright, Development Officer for Sixth Street Shelter

We hope to see you next year! To learn more about how you can get involved or be an Empty Bowls 2025 sponsor, please contact Second Harvest Food Bank's Senior Development Officer, Joanne Anderson, at janderson@caclv.org

Thank you to our sponsors:

Mike Gausling with One Putt Ventures

Duel Temp

Black River Vineyard & Winery

Eight Oaks Farm Distillery

WDIY

American Flag and Fence

Daniel's BMW

Regal Cinemas

Guardian

Lehigh Valley Health Network

Summit Marketing