A specialty bowl from a prior year’s Empty Bowls event
Peggy McGee
Mark your calendars for Valley Assistance Services’ (VAS) 20th Annual Empty Bowls extravaganza on Saturday, Feb. 21. The event will once again be held at Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol. Seatings will be at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. VAS is a 501(c)(3) that has been helping low-income families and seniors in the area for over 50 years.
The purpose of Empty Bowls is to bring awareness that many only have one bowl of soup per day, as they are forced to choose whether to pay for rent, utilities, medications, gasoline, or buy groceries. This is your chance to help the less fortunate while enjoying some satisfying soup supplied by about 20 different local restaurants. Attendees will choose from more than 400 beautiful bowls and take home a unique, commemorative souvenir. The bowls are lovingly handmade not only by Quail Creek’s POTS and Ceramic Clubs but also by crafters in Green Valley Recreation and Tubac.
After they eat, attendees will be able to try to become a winner of one of the 50-plus raffle baskets. The prizes are made possible by the generosity of local retail establishments and crafters who willingly share their creative talents each year. One does not have to be present to win a raffle basket. In addition to the raffle, there will also be a Silent Auction featuring works of art, spa baskets, golf packages, and more. All proceeds from Empty Bowls go to support the many services that VAS provides. These include help with rent and utilities, fall prevention, RN advocacy, support groups for those who have lost a family member, and memory loss/dementia programs for those suffering from any form of dementia, as well as their caregivers.
Tickets are $25 each and will be on sale beginning Jan. 12 at the VAS office at 3950 Camino del Heroe (in the Springs HOA development), Posada Java, the Green Valley/Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce, and Nancy Pantz or by contacting Quail Creek resident Peggy McGee at positivelypeggygv@gmail.com. One can also pre-purchase raffle tickets at 6 for $5, 14 for $10, and 30 for $20 at Valley Assistance Services or from Peggy McGee. Advance purchase of raffle tickets gives attendees an opportunity to put address labels and a phone number on the tickets.
Valley Assistance Services set a goal to raise $22,000 at the event. Will you help them reach or even exceed that goal so that they can continue to serve more than 7,500 residents in the local community?