Serving it up
Anne Carriere from Simply Baked Catering serves Marnie Fossitt some soup during the Empty Bowls event held on Feb. 9 at the Christian Reformed Church in Williamsburg. 150 people attended the sold-out event which was a fundraiser for Community Food Share that serves North Dundas, South Dundas and North Stormont. Thompson Goddard photo

In attendance
150 people attended the third annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for Community Food Share held at Christian Reformed Church in Williamsburg. In addition to enjoying the opportunity to visit with friends, musical entertainment, delicious soup and desserts, people were able to take home and treasure their bowl which had been created by local potters especially for the event.
Thompson Goddard photo

WILLIAMSBURG – For the third time, Empty Bowls, a fundraiser for Community Food Share, was a sold out event with 150 people attending the event at Christian Reformed Church in Williamsburg on Sat., Feb. 9.  

Ian McKelvie, CFS administrator, commented people began arriving around 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. for the noon event; presumably to have their choice of the 150 plus bowls created by local potters. He continued that this event is one of the ways in which the CFS raises the much-needed monetary funds for the organization and expressed his appreciation for all the organizations which contributed to the successful event now in its third year.

CFS board chair Terry Triskle took a few moments during the luncheon to extend a special thank you to all the people who contributed to the 2019 Empty Bowls Fundraiser, noting that almost 100 per cent of proceeds raised go to the CFS, thanks to the generous donations of sponsors. He explained during his address how bowls were created by area potters for the event, with a sincere thank you extended to artisans Gwen Anderson, Heidi Blokland, Joan Cox, Robbie Giles, Debbie Gilmer, Suzanne Hill, Joy Jackson, Johanna Jansen, Marie MacGillivray, MJ MacKay, Monique O’Brien, Amber Payne, Jenny Rijke, Dwight Saunders, Elaine Stevens and Diane Sullivan. 

Caterers included Winchelsea Events, Cup of Jo’s, Simply Baked Catering and Dawn Korteweg. Korteweg provided a table full of delicious desserts, with Winchelsea Events, Cup of Jo’s and Simply Baked Catering from North Dundas donating a selection of soups. Refreshments were donated by Mike Dean’s Chesterville Heritage Market and No Go Coffee of Kemptville with lunch-time entertainment provided by Jon Martin, Ed Montano and Becca Trembly, with a sincere thank you extended to the Christian Reformed Church for providing the venue for the successful event.

Triskle announced the Spring Calendar Raffle, a new fundraiser for the CFS. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to win “a total of $5,000 in cash prizes” to “be awarded daily during the month of May with prizes ranging from $25 to a grand prize of $1,000 on Mother’s Day.”  He explained only 1,000 tickets will be sold for $10 each with “winning tickets to be re-entered for each draw with all proceeds supporting CFS.” There will also be a “special bonus draw to win a $200 gift certificate from BMR Winchester just in time for Father’s Day”.

South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds perhaps summed up the feelings of those who attended the event when he commented to the Chesterville Record it was a “great crowd for a good cause”.