Soup Bowl Benefit to help fund local food bank campaign

People will choose their favorite soup bowls and savor sumptuous soup at the 2008 Soup Bowl Benefit for the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.\nWorld music from musicians such as Sheasby Matiure, The Mutinhimira Marimba Ensemble, Kaia and Steve Sobiech will be featured in this year’s benefit, which will be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Bloomington Convention Center. \nThe 14th annual fundraiser will combine decorative, culinary and performance arts. Local potters will contribute handmade bowls, restaurants and bakeries will donate food, musicians will provide live entertainment and attendees will gather, all to serve the cause of alleviating hunger. \nProceeds will support the bank, which administers food collection and distribution to non-profit feeding organizations. \n“The issue of hunger is a growing problem,” said Julio Alonso, executive director of the food bank. “The issue now is that even working adults are having problems sustaining themselves due to the ever-increasing cost of living.” \nLast year, more than two million pounds of food were distributed by the food bank, Alonso said. The bank serves Brown, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Owen counties, according to its Web site. Resources, however, are stretched thin, according to a press release issued by the food bank.\nThe “25 for 25” campaign was thereby launched at the food bank’s 25th anniversary reception last November to erect a proposed 25,000-square-foot warehouse, according to the press release.\nThe benefit has been held at the Bloomington Convention Center for two years running, raising nearly $70,000 in 2007, according to the food bank’s Web site. Robert Meitus, chairperson of the Soup Bowl committee, said the event is not a grandiose affair.\n“We really take responsibility to further this cause,” he said. “It’s a third year at this level, and we aim to maintain the strong level of corporate and public support.” \nLisa Abbott, director of the city of Bloomington’s Housing and Neighborhood Development, has been attending the Soup Bowl event for nearly 10 years and said she expects this year’s benefit to be another great grassroots event. \n“The Soup Bowl event is really the lynchpin of charitable programs in Bloomington,” Abbott said. “It is like a close-knit family affair; that’s the place where I run into many familiar friendly faces ... It’s socially fun and interesting.”\nThe benefit was inspired by Empty Bowl, a worldwide fundraising drive for hunger prevention programs, Meitus said. \nAdult tickets are available for $25 in advance at all three Bloomingfoods stores, Yarns Unlimited and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Children’s tickets will be available on the day of the event at the door for $6. For further information, call 334-8374 or visit www.soupbowl.org.