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Manna FoodBank: 18th Annual Empty Bowls
September 23, 2019 @ 11:00 am - 7:30 pm

You can help fill it—at MANNA FoodBank’s 18th annual Empty Bowls!
Empty Bowls is a unique and memorable event that celebrates community, art, and collaboration, while bringing awareness to the very real problem of hunger in Western North Carolina.
Guests select a bowl hand-made by local artisans and enjoy a seasonal meal of delicious soups, breads, desserts, and coffee. To complement the experience, local musicians provide fabulous live music. The souvenir bowl guests take home reminds them of the many WNC families that are currently struggling with hunger.
Almost every part of the event is donated, including the event space, food, beverages, and local pottery and art. This allows MANNA to use event proceeds for our food distribution and nutrition programs, which serve the more than 100,000 food-insecure households across our 16-county service area. Every dollar raised can help provide food for 3.5 meals!
COLLECTOR’S CORNER
In addition to the souvenir soup bowls that ticket holders select, guests may purchase special works of high-end craft and art at the Collector’s Corner. Collector’s Corner items are gallery-quality pieces selected by the artists. 100% of the proceeds from Collector’s Corner sales go directly to supporting MANNA’s mission of ending hunger in WNC.
TICKETS
Tickets may be purchased for Lunch (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM) or Dinner (5:00 PM – 7:30 PM). You may arrive any time during the designated service hours. All seating is general admission.
Adult Ticket: $40 (includes a meal and a souvenir bowl hand-made by a local artist)
Child Ticket, ages 12 and under, available for dinner only: $10 (includes a meal and a souvenir kid’s bowl)

ABOUT THE BOWL MAKERS
It takes many talented artists thousands of hours to craft the 1,000+ beautiful bowls that are the namesake, the heart of, and the takeaway from MANNA’s annual Empty Bowls fundraiser. MANNA is fortunate to have incredible support from experienced potters and ceramic artists who help create the vibrant arts and crafts community in Western North Carolina. The bowls our guests take home are beautiful, functional pieces of art that become treasured keepsakes. In fact, many guests attend the event every year to look for another piece by a favorite artist to add to their collection.
ABOUT THE CULINARY SPONSORS
MANNA’s partnership with Asheville’s celebrated culinary industry plays an important part in the success of our many events and fundraisers throughout the year. These dedicated food partners put their heart into feeding our community all year long, and Empty Bowls is no exception. The food served at Empty Bowls makes this autumn community event a perfect seasonal celebration—flavorful, hearty soups, stews, and bisques, made-from-scratch breads, biscuits, and muffins, and sweet & savory desserts. Check out our 2019 Empty Bowls Culinary Sponsors.
ABOUT THE VENUE
The DoubleTree by Hilton, located in historic Biltmore Village, has hosted Empty Bowls since 2004. Each year, they allow us to use the hotel at no cost and provide exceptional staff support to ensure Empty Bowls goes off without a hitch. Through their generous contributions, DoubleTree has helped MANNA provide food for over one million meals!
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Guests enjoy fabulous live music by talented, local musicians, providing the perfect complement to each meal.
Lunch Entertainment
In the Burghley Ballroom: Red Echo Trio (Brad Curtioff – keys, Rob Parks – bass, Kent Spillmann – drums)
On the Patio: Sam Irvin IV
Dinner Entertainment
In the Burghley Ballroom: One Leg Up (John Stineman – guitar, Steve Trismen – violin, and Zack Page – bass)
On the Patio: To be announced
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