14th Annual Empty Bowl Dinner at Chestnut Hill College

Posted by on November 05, 2012

14th Annual Empty Bowl Dinner at Chestnut Hill College

Dinner Celebrates 20th Anniversary and Expansion of Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network

Chestnut Hill College, in partnership with the Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (NPIHN), will host the NPIHN 20th Anniversary Empty Bowl Dinner on Wednesday, November 14, with two seatings at 4:30-6 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. The event is held in Sorgenti Arena, located at 9601 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. The K Ten Kids Foundation, Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, Pepsi, Prudential Fox and Roach, People Helping People Inc., sitiCare, The Goldenberg Group, and Chestnut Hill Hospital will sponsor this year’s dinner.

The 14th Annual Empty Bowl Dinner, a popular event at the College and with the surrounding community, combines the warmth of community and a hearty meal for the purpose of raising money in support of the NPIHN’s mission to mobilize resources and volunteers in direct response to the needs of neighbors who have lost their homes. Local businesses, schools, and artists donate bowls, while local restaurants donate soups, breads, and desserts. For a small fee, diners can select a hand-crafted bowl and enjoy fare from restaurants and bakeries in the Philadelphia area. At the end of the evening, diners take home their empty bowl as a reminder that every night in the City of Philadelphia more than 1,000 children go without a meal or a place to call home.

This year, the Empty Bowl dinner also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the NPIHN in Northwest Philadelphia and the expansion of the NPIHN into Northeast Philadelphia. It also honors those Congregations that have served NPIHN over the years.

“This year’s Empty Bowl Dinner celebrates the 20th anniversary of Northwest Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network,” says Rachel Falcove, NPIHN’s executive director. “Our work during the past years demonstrates that when an entire community joins together: congregations, schools, organizations, business owners, artists and community members, we really can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in-need.  We are so proud that 92 percent of the families we served never needed a repeat stay in a shelter, and many of the parents and their children have accomplished so much. They are college graduates, professionals, and employees with full benefits and homeowners. So many of our NPIHN alumni return as volunteers to help other families in their journey from homelessness to self sufficiency, and that makes us doubly proud.  It truly takes a village, and this Northwest Philadelphia village is one of the best!”

Chestnut Hill College students volunteer as servers for the event, which attracted more than 1,500 attendees last year and raised over $16,000 from the dinner. All proceeds from the event are donated to NPIHN. There will be live music, raffles, children’s activities, and Mike McGrath of WHYY’s “You Bet Your Garden” will be a special guest that evening. New this year, for a small donation, participants can also sponsor the dinner as a Dinner Host.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $8 for students and children, and can be purchased in advance at http://www.philashelter.org. For a full list of participating restaurants, schools, potters, and artists, please visit http://www.chc.edu

Note: This year, there will be no on-campus parking at the College for those attending the Empty Bowl Dinner. Please note that parking is available for attendees at the following locations:

1. St. Philip Neri Church and School in Lafayette Hill: 437 Ridge Pike, 466 Germantown Pike, and 3015 Chestnut Street.

2. Chestnut Hill Hospital Parking Lot: 8835 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118

3. Our Mother of Consolation Church: 9 East Chestnut Hill Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118

4. Mt. St. Joseph’s Academy: West 120 Wissahickon Avenue, Flourtown, PA 19031

A shuttle will run continuously from 4-8 p.m. between the College and the designated parking lots.