March 1, 2010

Soup bowls weren't empty for long at fund-raiser

Update: 3/5: Preliminary results show that 1,150 people were fed at this year's Empty Bowls event, raising over $20,000. Dan White's photo slideshow is here:

Original post:

Dan White remembers the first Empty Bowls fund-raiser, back in 1997. "About 50 people came to eat," he says.

How times change. Looking around at the Masonic Center today, there were that many volunteers -- and far more hungry people making their way past the line of ten servers, each presiding over not one but two steaming kettles of soup. The lines were continuous, as picky diners -- having first chosen their hand-made soup bowl -- made their way around the room, checking out their meal options.

Ah, choices! There were about 50 different kinds of soup. Some of the more unusual included pumpkin peanut bisque, chili with protein curds instead of meat, vegan mushroom with caramelized shallots and thyme, pizza soup, five different versions of minestrone, lobster bisque, Italian wedding soup, Irish hunter soup... I could go on, but it's making me hungry all over again...

Not to take credit for something I had very little to do with, but my kettle of chicken and dumplings soup, chock full of both, won in a landslide -- refilled seven times in 90 minutes! -- over John Dickert's offerings to my right, and Bill McReynolds' to my left. (But who's counting?)

The kitchen was smoothly run by volunteers from Gateway Technical College's culinary arts program, who kept hot the various offerings from local restaurants, and also kept servers well-stocked. Other volunteers handed out fresh bread from local bakeries, and beverages. And in the dining room, musicians provided a calming backdrop.

All this effort for a very good cause; well, two of them: Empty Bowls is, after all, a fund-raiser for the Racine County Food Bank and the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization's shelter. Total results won't be known for a while, but co-chair Heidi Fannin said, "We served approx. 200 more people for lunch than we did last year! So, we did very well, which is what we all expected." Evening serving results hadn't been tabulated, but she said, "we were busy until the end!"

In the meantime, let's give recognition to as many of the participants as possible.


Restaurant chefs
who provided soup represented: Apple Holler, Bentley's, Charcoal Grill - Hwy. 20, Circa Celeste, The Corner House, Culvers - 21st Street, Danny's Catering, Douglas Diner, Georges Tavern, HALO, Henry & Wanda's, Infusino's Restaurant, Ivanhoe's Pub, Javier's, Jose's Blue Sombrero, Kewpee Sandwich Shop, Lee's Deli, Mike & Angelo's, Old Country Buffet, Olde Madrid, Olive Garden, Out Of The Pan, Perkins Restaurant, Pias' Pizzeria, Red Onion CafĂ©, Reflections, River Run Restaurant, Roma Lodge, Roosters Restaurant, Salutes, San Francisco Grille, Sausage Kitchen, Sebastian's, Shillings Irish Pub, Spinnaker's, The Council House, United Way of Racine County, Veteran’s Center, Waves Pub & Grill and Wells Brothers.

Other soup donors
were: Dick and Pat Ehlert, Kimball Hardin and M. Rubin, Michele (Kobriger) Hunter, Bonnie Kidwell, Curt and Susan Lange-Pruitt, Cindy Maragos, Connie Molbeck, Cathy Perkins and Family, Barbara Suprak, Evelyn Smetana, Chris Veranth, Debbie Weyers, Cynde Summers and Family, Midge Green, Pam Henderson and Family, Sue and Gary Goodsell and Sue Gibbs and Family


Bread donors
were: Bendtsen's Bakery, Larson's Bakery, O&H Bakery, Lopez Bakery, Panera Bread, Siena Center, Gateway Culinary Program, Olive Garden, Piggly Wiggly and Pick-N-Save.

Musicians were Amy Joy Dienberg, Kevin Brown Quartet, Luke Patterson and Night Wing.


Volunteers
came from the AAUW, ALP, Girl Scouts, Horlick High School, Junior League, Prairie 8th Grade, Racine Art Guild, Volunteer Center of Racine, West Racine Rotary Club.

Major event sponsors
included: ART Clay Studio, Educators Credit Union, Gateway Culinary Program, In-Sink-Erator, Kiwanis West, Masonic Center, Racine Founders Rotary Club, Career Industries, Cooper Industries, DASH Gloves, Fired Up!, Merchants Moving, General Rental, Rotary West, Sebastian’s, Starbucks Coffee, Volunteer Center of Racine, Wilson’s Coffee & Tea, RAM and Wustum.

Artists who made some of the magnificent bowls included Jeff Shawhan, Amanda Paffrath, John Van Koningsveld, Cathy McCombs, Sue Inbusch, Harold Solberg, Hank Bardenhagen, Kevin Pearson, Pam Showman, Bill Anderson, Jim Limburg, Maureen Michna Becker, Joyce Guillien, Alex Mandli, Jim Hall, Cindy Morganroth, Karisa Livingston, Larry Jamison, Barbara Hantschel, Sue Bush, Barbie Rench, Dennis Moll, John Ellgas, Marg Lacock and Denise Zingg.

Bowl-donating organizations
included Dr. Jones Elementary School, Giese Elementary School, Wind Point Elementary School, Mitchell Middle School, Prairie School, Racine Montessori, Educators Credit Union, Raymond Elementary, Spectrum School and Gallery, Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School, J.I. Case High School, Johnson Financial, Junior League, Horlick High School, Washington Park High School, Walden High School, Waterford High School and UW Parkside.

And finally, here's the Empty Bowls 2010 Committee: Heidi Fannin, Dan White, Paul Schiele, Sue Beres, Donna Newgord, Dorothy Feeney, Judi Quinn, Pam Hoadley, Brenda Thomas, Dan Taivalkoski, Nancy Feiner, Sue Fritsche, Susan Feehrer and Wendy Sustochek.

36 comments:

  1. Everyone was SOUP-erb! However, if we had a decent socio-economic system, such events wouldn't be necessary. Good though they may be, these activities don't solve our hunger crisis because they leave the evil capitalist system and its sick winners-losers game intact.

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  2. That's why the corporate class tolerates--and, occasionally--participates in such events. The little charitable fundraisers DON'T alter the system while letting the privileged feel that they aren't total rotters in exchange for a wee bit of menial labor.

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  3. Regardless, it's time for a system which shall SERVE ALL THE PEOPLE, not merely the rich and their upper-middle class epigines.

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  4. Please accept my most humble apologies for a spelling error. The last word should be "epigones," not "epigines." Many thanks!

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  5. Someday, when we've built a socialist America and hunger no longer stalks our land, the erstwhile Waxoppressors may have to hold bakesales or beanfeasts to support their pricey-to-maintain architectural ego monuments.

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  6. During the Civil War, General Sherman was on record as stating that he'd "bring every Secessionist woman to the washtub." (In other words, Emancipation of the slaves plus wartime devastation and poverty would force Southern erstwhile aristos' female kin to take in laundry in order to survive.) Someday, the almighty treasure tyrants of this town may have to sling hash or wash dishes for a living...

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  7. God speed the day! Even so, I wouldn't trust ex-richie-poos to prepare and serve food destined for their former victims. Knowing the Poobahs, they'd spit in it.

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  8. It never ceases to amaze me how some posters can take a blog about many of our amazing and generous citizens, both corporate and individual and turn it in to a rant about the Johnson's (or anyone with greater resources than them).

    Kudos to a great event and thanks to all that made it possible!

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  9. Were you as poor as most of our citizens are, you'd understand the common man's rage. To many of us, SCJ equals Sneaky Crooked Jerks. I pray that in the future the Waxtrash may be forced to visit soup kitchens in order to get something to fill their bellies.

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  10. Yes, if I happened to be on duty at the soup kitchen when the Carnauba cruds came through, I'd spit in their portions. This statement is merely a soupcon of the Waxophobia prevalent here in Rat-Scene, alias The Rodent City, aka The Mickey Mouse Company Town.

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  11. Jesting aside, collective problems (e.g. hunger) require collective solutions. In this culture, that means GOVERNMENT must take command and solve problems which are beyond the capacities of individuals. ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT!

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  12. This was very well done. Thanks for the dumpling soup Pete!

    Also, where can I buy the tortilla soup, or was it the chicken tortilla soup. It was delicious.

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  13. This is a great event. But next year, PLEASE find a place with more parking. At the dinner session yesterday, many cars were circling the block trying to find parking.

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  14. Dustin and Pete - These neo-socialist a$$holes are ruining your website.

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  15. I got news for you people - many of us so-called middle class folks are struggling too. We scrimp and save and clip coupons and shop at Aldi's and even sometimes take money from our churches to feed our families. Stop making it look like Racine is just chock full of homeless people who are starving. We at least plan and think and strategize to get what we need. Many of these people who benefit from the soup bowl thing and other community endeavors are just handed food, money, and assistance on a plate - and then they go out and buy designer clothes.

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  16. Maybe so--but the paupers we know don't possess designer duds and doodads. Although you may be well-to-do, most Racine residents whom I know are poor and growing poorer with every passing day. Unless you're a Waxie or one of their upper-middle class emulators, Racine is hell and its suffering inhabitants know all-too-well the identities of this inferno's presiding fiends.

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  17. Needed in lieu of feel-good bourgeois gestures: SOCIALISM NOW!

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  18. Capitalism brought us extreme disparities in wealth, maldistribution of our nation's resources and widespread hunger. SOCIALISM shall end all of the above.

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  19. Dear 8:12 AM, If some of you are taking money from your churches to feed your families, you're no longer middle class. Please wake up--the ruling class is impoverishing most of us for its obscene fun and profit while conning us into thinking that we're middle class and everything will improve a.s.a.p. In fact, most of us never were middle class in the comfortable sense of the word and conditions will get better for the oligarchy alone.

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  20. The only way up and out of this downward spiral is SOCIALISM!

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  21. Looks like everything went well. Great job to all.
    SDJ

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  22. Well of course, it's all Bush's and the Johnson Family's fault - there was never poverty before.

    My bet is that the people (proably person) who is posting the socialist nonsense hasn't contributed any money nor any effort or time to help anyone but himself. Just wants someone else to pay for him.

    History has proven that socialism has never worked self reliance is the road to success. The government has no new or good ideas - they do not create only take away incentive.

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  23. Hi,
    It was Luke Patterson, not Peterson, on keyboards 4-5:30p.
    Love, Mom

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  24. Well all this evil capitalistm by one or two wackos sure know how to spoil a good blog.

    Yes we know these activities don't solve the hunger crisis. Yet, it keeps the issue up front and center and allows some of us to participate.

    Get over it.

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  25. We'll get over it when the Johnsons' reign of error in this sorry city is ended forever. As for self-reliance, it's a richie-poo scam to make us blame ourselves instead of our oppressors for our misery. There's a reason that the Waxies like Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, Wright and Rand. The Transcendentalist and Objectivist cr-p here in Racine didn't happen by accident. The elite and its lackeys use it to keep us from understanding their sick,slick system and overthrowing it.

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  26. He said, GET OVER IT!

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  27. We'll get over it when we've overthrown the capitalist system and its oppressive rulers. In this sad town, that means the Johnsons, the Leipolds and the Boyds must cease to possess and wield power.

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  28. Michael - you are no longer funny. You are a very sick man.
    I would suggest that you seek help. You are not well.
    The hate filled rage you continue to exhibit is not normal and I fear that you will either hurt yourself or someone else very soon.

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  29. I'll take Wright and Rand over your Marx and Stalin anyday!
    Yay for capitalism and free market economics!!!

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  30. I hope the jerk who spoiled this blog is proud of his mental illness.

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  31. He is all over this site. It is difficult to separate the valid comments from the socialist spam. I really hope something is done about it soon. It is really annoying.
    SDJ

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  32. The future shall decide who's sick and who's sane, not some upper-middle class degenertwits with ties to The House of Wax and its admirers.

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  33. Whether or not the truth may annoy you, the truth remains the truth. HERE I STAND--I CANNOT DO OTHERWISE. GOD HELP ME. AMEN.

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  34. I'd like to see what you nut jobs would do or say if J-Wax ever left town. How dare you!! Imagine where we would be with the jobs lost. Grow up you idiot, and stop ruining stories about good things that happen in this town. I happen to not be doing so well myself, but I will support this event and others like it.

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  35. With a people's government in command of the nation's resources, we'd still have jobs and incomes. In addition, there'd be a social safety net for all citizens. As for the departure of SCJ, we work for the day when the Waxtrash Corporate Crime Family will be divested of the bulk of its assets and the people's government will own and operate its companies. Assuming that the Waxies are kleptoplutocrats like most of their class, we'll try, convict and incarcerate them for the rest of their natural lives.

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