Carolyn Young of Earth to Art Pottery, can be seen sitting in front of her potters wheel this time of year.
Retired from Lockheed Martin as a Quality Engineer, and resident of Parker County, she has fired up her kiln and gotten out her carving tools all with one purpose in mind - to help feed the hungry - and just in time too.On Thursday, March 28, Empty Bowls Fort Worth - An Artful Taste to End Hunger and the Tarrant Area Food Bank's most popular fundraiser, is back for its 11-year anniversary.“I love it,” Young said. “For every dollar [Tarrant Area Food Bank] can provide five meals. I don’t know how they do it, or the particulars behind it, but it’s an amazing cause and it has grown so much.”A potter herself for more than 20 years, she said the event has grown so much over the years that organizers have had to change venues to accommodate the increasing numbers of people attending.“For the last couple of years, we’ve planned for 2,000 bowls for the $45 admission fee,” she said. “That gets you in the door and lets you select from a huge table of bowls - hand made - but not necessarily all are pottery.”She said the bowls could be made of glass, wood or ceramic - the perfect keepsake. In addition, there is a “bump” table where you can “upgrade” your selection, a Gallery Bowl table where you can purchase outright simply stunning bowls and a silent auction which includes bowls and many other items and services.The price of admission also includes a bid in a live auction of Celebrity Bowls, each painted to symbolize the famous personality who signed it. The celebrities include, among others, Chef Rick Bayless of the PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time;" health guru Dr. Mehmet Oz; Grammy award-winning violinist Joshua Bell; singer/songwriter Amy Grant; country music star Vince Gill; and multi-Grammy winning vocal quartet Manhattan Transfer.Young said she first got interested in clay while she was at Lockheed. Her travels took her all over the Middle East including Egypt, Turkey and Israel.“It was very stressful so I was looking for something to help me relieve tension,” she said. “I had a friend who had just taken a couple of pottery lessons and she encouraged me to take some lessons.”She said the first time she she put her hands on clay she was “hooked.”“It gives me chills to talk about it even now,” Young said.She then took some classes at Tarrant County College and later spent a great deal of time at the Lockheed Martin Recreational Association honing her craft.She said she herself will personally donate around 30 glazed and hand-carved bowls for the event – for all levels.“Empty Bowls Fort Worth is possible only through the generosity and talents of Carolyn Young and hundreds of other artists in the Fort Worth region who donate their handcrafted or hand-painted bowls,” said Andrea Helms, Tarrant Area Food Bank Communications Director. “ I have been on the staff of Tarrant Area Food Bank during all of the past 10 Empty Bowls events, and each year I am amazed at the quantity and quality of bowls donated by professional, student and hobby artists.”She said their dedication to this event cannot be thanked enough.“With the loyal support of these artists and the restaurants that donate tastings of soups and desserts, Empty Bowls has become Tarrant Area Food Bank’s most successful fundraising event,” she added.Unlike past years, Empty Bowls Fort Worth 2013 is on a Thursday rather than a Friday - from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on March 28 in Texas Hall inside Amon G. Carter Exhibition Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 West Lancaster, Fort Worth.Advanced tickets sales only for admission are $45 for a general admission and $125 for a VIP ticket allowing entrance to the event a half hour early along with corporate sponsors. The deadline for purchasing admission tickets--online, by mail, by phone or in person--is 4 p.m. on Mon., March 25.This year’s Empty Bowls Fort Worth, presented by Tom Thumb, is organized by a volunteer steering committee led by Fort Worth business owners Lisa and Andrew Fuld. The organizers will present not only handcrafted bowls by Texas artists and tastings of soups and desserts from 30-plus top Fort Worth restaurants, but also a noon-time, high-energy activity celebrating food and song. In addition, raffles will be held for a new Dragon-red, street-legal Vespa LX 150 scooter, two tickets to a home game of the Dallas Cowboys or 30-days in a Fiat 500.Taste soups and desserts from 30-plus Fort Worth area high-end and casual dining restaurants and caterers including, among others, Aventino's Italian Restaurant, La Familia, The Reata, Michaels Cuisine, McKinley's Fine Bakery and Cafe, Next Wood Fired Bistro & Vino Bar, Paris Coffee Shop, Riscky's Bar-B-Q, Shinjuku Station Japanese Dining, Tim Love Catering, Truluck's Seafood, Vidalias Southern Cuisine and Wild Mushroom Steak House.Bid in a silent auction for bowls and artwork by local master artisans as well as items such as a Fantasia Mickey Mouse etching in color with a Certificate of Authenticity, a basketball signed by all the Dallas Mavericks, a baseball signed by Baseball Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry and another signed by Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Rusty Greer.Vote for your favorite Empty Bowls restaurant/caterer for the People’s Choice Award.Empty Bowls Fort Worth helps the food bank and its 300 partner charities feed impoverished and low-income families and senior citizens in Tarrant and 12 other counties which includes Parker County. That’s emergency groceries each month for 45,000 households and more than 340,000 meals served at senior centers, after-school programs, soup kitchens and emergency shelters. Of all the individuals provided food assistance, 40 percent are children.For more information, visit www.tafb.org, www.facebook.com/EmptyBowlsFort Worth and http://twitter.com/TAFoodBank.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
