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Empty Bowls project a huge success

Lakecity potters are more than thrilled with the response to their first Empty Bowls project to raise funds for the Salvation Army’s community food bank.
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Meena Bhatti (left) and Lynn Lanki check out the silent auction items.

Lakecity potters are more than thrilled with the response to their first Empty Bowls project to raise funds for the Salvation Army’s community food bank.

Even though the Empty Bowls lunch held at Beeotcheese Bistro Monday was scheduled to run from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. people were lined up early and all of the almost 200 handmade bowls created for the project were sold by 1 p.m.

“It was hair straight back I’ll tell you,” says potter Buff Carnes who drew on her university days’ skills waitressing in the summers at the Oak Bay Marina in Victoria and Banff School of Fine Arts, to help out with serving.

For a donation of $15 to the food bank, patrons received a piece of bread and a bowl of soup delivered in a handmade bowl which they got to take home with them.

“It was great,” says potter Bev Pemberton, who, along with potters Joan Beck and Ann Rusch threw the majority of bowls for the project which were fired and glazed with help from other members of the guild. Even though there weren’t any bowls left before the event was officially finished, some latecomers made their $15 donation and just enjoyed the soup and bread. Cariboo Growers donated some of the ingredients for the soup and Beeotcheese staff volunteered time to cook and serve the soup with help from the artists.

While the count isn’t finalized yet, potter Judy Prevost estimates the event raised about $4,000 for the Salvation Army food bank, including proceeds from silent auction items donated for the event by the potters, weavers and artists.

“We’ll have to start earlier next year,” says potter Lesley Lloyd.