‘Empty Bowls’ soup dinner March 14 in Colby

Area congregations, together with the Colby School District art students and their teacher Jon Kleinschmidt, will host the 10th annual “Empty Bowls: Community Soup” on Saturday, March 14, at the Colby High School cafeteria.

The soup event will be held before the Colby ShowCase Players’ production of A Nice Family Christmas in the Colby School theater, creating a dinner theater opportunity for all to enjoy. Serving will be held from 5 to 7 p.m.

Empty Bowls will collect a free-will offering for the Community United Food Pantry in Colby. The public is invited to select a piece of pottery crafted by the students, and enjoy delicious soups prepared by area churches. Take-outs of soup are available after 6.30 p.m. for a per-quart fee when using your own container.

First United Church, Colby, won Jon’s Traveling Trophy for the Best Soup in Our Church Communities last year when seven churches participated.

“This event has grown a lot over the past 10 years,” said an Empty Bowls committee member. “It’s fun to gather with neighbors, sharing smiles and laughter while sampling tasty soups; and not just the old favorites like chicken noodle and chili, but novel ones too, like Pozole and Rueben. It’s a yummy fundraiser for our food pantry. Hosting on the same Saturday as the ShowCase play was a huge success last year and we think this year will be even better.”

Following the Empty Bowls Community Soup, the ShowCase Players invite everyone to their 7:30 p.m. performance, which is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. Tickets are available for purchase at the door. Bring a non-perishable food item to receive one dollar off your ticket to the show. Food donations collected by the ShowCase Players are distributed to area food pantries.

Contact First United Church at 715-223-2712 for more information about the 10th annual Empty Bowls Community Soup.