There is nothing more ordinary than soup; perhaps that is why we are so fond of it. Soup’s comfort is in both its warmth and in its simplicity. It’s a meal that speaks of tradition, of home, and of hope. Historians believe that soup was the original menu item of the very first public restaurants, which opened in 18th-century Paris. The word “restoratifs” (which loosely means that something is “restoring”) was first used in 16th-century France to refer to a highly concentrated

One. You can choose your date. Of course, you have always been able to choose who you go with, but now you can choose when to go. We are bringing back the Empty Bowls Dinner in addition to the traditional luncheon because your schedule is, well, busy. Two. The Handmade in North Carolina Silent Auction. Beautiful pottery. Wine. Gift baskets. Handmade jewelry… all featuring the best local artists from throughout the 18 counties that Second Harvest serves. Three. You can wear yo

1. You can go early… or late. Second Harvest introduced the Empty Bowls Dinner in addition to the traditional luncheon because your schedule is, well, busy. Starting at 4 PM and serving until 7:30, you can grab the girls and come when works for you. 2. You can wear your dancing shoes… on a Tuesday. This year, North Carolina based one-man-band Adam Pitts will be performing! 3. The Empty Bowls Silent Auction. Beautiful pottery. Wine. Gift baskets. Handmade jewelry. This year’s

I’ve been a part of Second Harvest’s Empty Bowls fundraiser in one way or another for the past seven years. First as a guest, then as a volunteer, then a planning committee member and now volunteer chair. My initial involvement came because a friend invited me along, and who doesn’t love a good cause and some pretty pottery as a bonus? But I got so much more from that first Empty Bowls event – I not only learned about a real need in our community to help people who are food i

Lace up your running shoes! Second Harvest has a growing list of foot races that benefit our work, and we don’t see these only as fundraisers. We see these races as important events to make the connection that hunger is a health issue, just like exercise and physical activity. “We know that heart disease, obesity and diabetes are more prevalent in communities with low food security and fundraisers like these runs help Second Harvest and our partner network focus on bringing t

Nikki Miller-Ka is a professional food blogger and food critic based in Winston-Salem. She writes and bites about local and regional restaurant trends, food organizations, food producers and everything culinary on her blog, Nik Snacks (niksnacksonline.com) and her bimonthly Casual Dining column in the Greensboro News & Record. She also is a big fan of Second Harvest’s Empty Bowls, where she can be found volunteering every year. She wrote this blog post of us about her commitm

There’s an energy and a warm feeling that fills the room at Empty Bowls. People from all over Northwest North Carolina come together to share a simple meal with a simple mission: to end hunger. It is truly a community led event: local restaurants donate pots of their signature soups, local potters donate handcrafted bowls, and the community comes together to share a meal, raise funds, and promote awareness of the high levels of food insecurity that too many of our neighbors

There is nothing more ordinary than soup and perhaps that is why we are so fond of it. Soup’s comfort, after all, is both in its warmth and in its simplicity. It speaks of tradition and home and hope. The history of soup mirrors the history of cooking. Since most soups are heated to extract nutrients and flavors from ingredients added to water, soup requires fire. It is generally thought that soup wouldn’t have become commonplace until somewhere between 5,000 and 9,000 years

They are painting flowers. They are painting their favorite foods. They are painting trees and peace symbols and mandalas and cherry blossoms. The Rockingham County Middle School cafeteria is surprisingly quiet as about 60 children from Students of Success (SOS) concentrate on painting pottery bowls. SOS Coordinator Mary Martin has invited these kids here to help paint bowls for Second Harvest’s annual Empty Bowls. “We are in the business of giving back,” she explains. Mary