MERIDIAN, Idaho — The Idaho Foodbank's Empty Bowls event has moved online for 2020. This year, people have until December 14 to buy a bowl online and pick it up at the Idaho Foodbank in Meridian during available pick-up hours.
"Normally we'd be down at the Grove Plaza on the day after Thanksgiving and we would have all the bowls set up on tables, but we just weren't able to do that safely this year, so we decided to take it online," said Whitney Stoolman, Corporate and Community Relations Coordinator.
There is an online store for browsing all the bowls available. If you can't make up your mind, there is a "surprise me" option and the Foodbank will pick one for you.
Our Empty Bowls Online Store is Open! Take your time browsing through the bowls and pick your favorite - or let us pick by choosing "Surprise me." Thank you for supporting this holiday tradition in the Treasure Valley! #HopefortheHolidayshttps://t.co/6Z7xB3QCbE pic.twitter.com/hosU75CuCU
— The Idaho Foodbank (@IdahoFoodbank) November 23, 2020
Each purchase will include a soup coupon to a local restaurant, while supplies last. Albertsons is also providing a reusable bag and a $5 gift card to buy a hot meal from your local store. You can choose to donate that gift card to the Idaho Foodbank to help provide more meals to those in need.
"The idea of empty bowls historically has been to mimic what it's like to stand in line at a soup kitchen, so that's where the empty bowl idea comes from," said Stoolman. "The money that we raise from this event helps us to provide food to all Idahoans throughout the state who are facing food insecurity."
Available pick-up times are Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To see all the bowls available for purchase this year, click here.
