Orders Now Open For Empty Bowls To-Go Event In Rochester, MN

Records are breaking in Minnesota in 2024...and not in a good way.

The Hidden Epidemic Happening Right Now in Southeast Minnesota

While the downtown Rochester, Minnesota area has had exciting announcements with major expansions at Mayo Clinic, there is a hidden epidemic happening right now in our community.

Over 40,000 of our neighbors in Southeast Minnesota and over the Mississippi River into Wisconsin are impacted by this hidden epidemic, especially those who are on a fixed income or are single.  Although all of their stories are a little bit different, their need is the same - they don't have enough money to make ends meet each month.  The cupboards and refrigerators in kitchens are bare and moms are making a choice not to eat just so their kids can.

Over 40,000 People In Our Area Are Facing Food Insecurity in 2024

To give you a visual of that 40k, let's look at just Rochester.  Right now, our population is about 120,000.  If we put all of the 40,000 people who are facing food insecurity in 2024 and placed them solely in our town, that is about 1/3 of our population.

Let's imagine that 40,000 people live in the purple section below, the blue section, and then another 40,000 in the red section.  One of those sections in the map below of our town represents the number of people Channel One Regional Food Bank will be helping in 2024.

The "Not So Great" Records That Are Breaking in Southeast Minnesota

Let's take a deeper look at the records that are being broken in 2024:

• From January to June 2023, the Channel One Food Shelf saw an average of 260 new household registrations.
• From July to December 2023, it was an average of 345.
• In January 2024, a new record was set at Channel One Food Shelf where 411 new households were helped.
• In April 2024, we broke that record with 448 households.

One out of three people in our area need our help ensuring that they have enough food to eat, and there is a really easy (and delicious!) way to help our neighbors who are struggling financially - the Empty Bowls To-Go Fundraiser!

Get Your Orders in Now For the Empty Bowls To-Go Event in Rochester, Minnesota

Right now, restaurants are getting supplies ready and their teams are pumped to create amazing soups and bread just for you.  At the same time, individuals all over our area are painting bowls that you will get to take home as a reminder of those who may not know if they will have enough funds for their next meal.  The soup, bread, and bowls are all part of the Empty Bowls event that helps Channel One Regional Food Bank.

READ MORE: Get Creative! Paint a Bowl for Free in Rochester, Minnesota

How to Order Soup for the Empty Bowls To-Go Fundraiser for Channel One Regional Food Shelf

• Go to the Empty Bowls To-Go website
• Fill out the "About You" info
• Pick the soups that you would like to order (you can order more than one!)
  • Clam Chowder from Bleu Duck Kitchen
  • Vegetable Beef (gluten-free and dairy-free) from Canadian Honker Restaurant & Catering
  • Smoked Gouda Potato (gluten-free) from Chester's kitchen & bar
  • Smoked Gouda Chicken Wild Rice (gluten-free) from Five West Kitchen + Bar
  • Coconut Carrot Curry (vegan and gluten-free) from Pinnacle Catering
• Find the date and time that works best for you to pick up
• Check out the specialty bowls
• Review your order and pay

Ordering for Empty Bowls To-Go will close at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024 so hurry and get your order in!

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Townsquare Media cares about our community! Every year, we help the community in a variety of ways from supporting local fundraisers, to running daily public service messages, to creating digital community campaigns and hosting events attended by thousands.

Do you have a community event coming up or a fundraiser?  Let us know!  Contact us at jessica.williams@townsquaremedia.com or fill out the form requesting more info at our Townsquare Cares page.