The Wednesday, February 5, 3:30 until 6 pm Empty Bowls event exceeded expectations. Initiated in Cedar Key by local potter Amy Gernhardt some years ago with the intent of giving back to a community she celebrates, all donations / proceeds are donated annually to the Cedar Key Food Pantry. Gernhardt annually mobilizes myriad volunteers to generate bowls, soups, salads, and desserts.

This year, potters number nine, all of whom created the bowls or worked with novices to make them, and then they donated all their pieces. The potters include Amy Gernhardt herself, Anne Landgren, Cookie Fleischit, Dan Counselman, David McDonald, Carol Seidman, Anne Graham Miller, and Tom Guirl. Attendees donated at the door, selected a bowl from the array, and proceeded to make a soup decision.

The soups numbered 29! Tomato Basil, Red Curry Lentil, Chicken Tortilla, Japanese Miso, Corn Soup with Ham, Split Pea with Ham, Black Bean, Taco Soup, and 21 others were offered. One offering contained elk! Each soup dish was created, cooked, and donated by a generous person in the area. So, too, with salads and myriad desserts.

With the care of Lisa and Cub Scout Leader James Custer, Cedar Key Cub Scouts Isaac Custer and Nate Walker engaged with the diners and bussed their tables. 

The community, truly a nurturing one, understands the mission of the Cedar Key Food Pantry and Empty Bowls dramatically helps fulfill that mission.

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