The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica (UUCCSM) hosts a community event to raise funds, friends and awareness for our ongoing fight against hunger in West LA.

 

Santa Monica, CA (February 16, 2014)—Artists, hunger activists and foodies of all stripes will come together March 8 to raise funds for the Westside Food Bank and raise awareness of food insecurity. UUCCSM presents Empty Bowls Santa Monica: for a $20 donation members of the public will share a simple meal of soup and bread and take home a beautiful handmade ceramic bowl of their choosing, to remind them of empty bowls right here in our community.

 

Empty Bowls Santa Monica will take place in cooperation with local merchants, ceramics artisans and celebrity Chef Derek Walker. Walker is a winner of the Food Network’s “Chopped” cooking competition series and was named a “Hero Chef.” He is Executive Chef at the Bread and Roses Café, which feeds the homeless five days a week, and works at the St. Joseph Center, where he runs a culinary training program that helps struggling men and women find a career in the food industry. The El Cholo Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica, Whole Foods Santa Monica, Trader Joe’s and Bob’s Market are also participating by providing soups and other items need for the meal. Dozens of local potters, including volunteer event organizers Bettye Barclay and Ellen Levy, have handcrafted and donated unique soup bowls – true objets d’art.

 

Thanks to this generous alliance, 100% of the $20 donations will benefit Westside Food Bank, a local nonprofit that serves 70 different local agencies providing food to those in need. Westside Food Bank finds that the need for food assistance in our area is up by more than 75% since the start of the recession. As the food bank warehouse for the Westside since 1981, they annually distribute more than 4.7 million pounds of food.

Chef Walker will be present to greet diners and discuss hunger issues on the Westside. Allison Griffith, a volunteer from Westside Food Bank, will be present to talk about their work on food insecurity. UUCCSM adult and youth volunteers will host and facilitate the event, strengthening the church’s long-standing support of the Westside Food Bank. UUSM is proud to bring Empty Bowls to our community: an international grassroots effort to end hunger and food insecurity. Many millions have been raised and donated to hunger-fighting organizations across the globe. The general public is welcome. Location: Forbes Hall, Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, 1260 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 (map). For more information contact Nancy, assistant@uusm.org, 310-829-5436 ext. 103. Free parking is available in the parking structure on 16th Street just south of Arizona. Handicap parking is available behind Forbes Hall.

 

About UUCCSM

 

The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica was founded in 1927 and is affiliated with the national Unitarian Universalist Association. The UUCCSM community embraces many beliefs and many backgrounds. UUs celebrate unity in diversity, affirming the supreme worth of all persons, held together through love and a spark of divinity that resides in us all. Our community is also a Welcoming Congregation, welcoming all persons and families regardless of sexual orientation.

 

With one of the largest UU Religious Education programs in Southern California, we support both youth and adults in their search for understanding, insight and inspiration.

 

UUCCSM is also an active center for social justice, peace and sustainability. For a full calendar of events visit old.uusm.org or connect with us on Facebook @UUSantaMonica.