UHS to host 15th 'Empty Bowls' benefit luncheons 

In April, UHS will host the 15th annual “Empty Bowls” luncheons to benefit the hungry in the Southern Tier.

The two-site event is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 3, in the Eckelberger Community Room, 156 Corliss Ave., Johnson City, on the campus of UHS Wilson Medical Center; and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Thursday, April 4, in the Russell Community Room, at UHS Binghamton General Hospital, 10-42 Mitchell Ave., Binghamton.

For a donation of $25, each person attending will be able to select a pottery bowl beautifully handcrafted by a local artisan, then enjoy a hearty lunch, featuring soups, salads and desserts, prepared by executive chefs from the UHS Food & Nutrition Department.

Proceeds will benefit the work of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, which provides food to those in need in Broome, Chemung, Schulyer, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties ($20), as well as the UHS Foundation’s Stop Hunger Fund ($5).

Empty Bowls is an international, grassroots effort to raise money for, and awareness about, hunger relief.

Since its inception in a high school ceramics class in 1990, the project has engaged hundreds of thousands of individuals and raised millions of dollars for local communities.

“Your donation will provide 75 meals to our neighbors in need,” said Katherine Strawser, community event planner at the Food Bank. “The handmade bowl is a stark reminder that many in our community face an empty bowl on a daily basis.”

Organizers urge people to buy tickets early, as the number of bowls is limited.

For tickets, contact Chris Zduniak at 763-6382 or Sarah Deamond at 763-6068 at UHS Hospitals.

UHS is a locally owned, not-for-profit hospital and healthcare system serving Greater Binghamton and surrounding counties. Founded in 1981, UHS provides a full range of medical, surgical, rehabilitative and long-term care services throughout New York’s Southern Tier.

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