What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time, CSA was gearing up for another sold-out Empty Bowls soup supper event. Little did we know that just a few days later, we would be making the difficult decision to cancel this community tradition since 1991 due to the emerging COVID virus.
So here we are a year later. The pandemic has brought – and continues to bring – serious economic hardship, causing food insecurity and financial difficulties for many people in our community. And, it’s not over yet – in fact, the need is greater than ever. There are many empty bowls to fill in our community this year. That is why we are moving forward with Empty Bowls, our annual fundraiser for homeless services, now in its 30th year. But this year, it’s with a twist!
Since the pandemic precludes hosting an in-person event, CSA is taking its spring fundraising efforts online. Instead of a soup supper, this year’s Empty Bowls will raise funds for unhoused clients through a 10-day online fundraising campaign beginning March 14 at www2.csacares.org/events. That being said, if you would like to get an early start on donations, you can do so by clicking here.
This year, CSA is also partnering with Appetite for Good, to support local restaurants by offering donors the opportunity to purchase meal vouchers for hungry neighbors from restaurants that have generously donated to CSA’s Empty Bowls and our pantry in the past.
Founded last year by IdaRose Sylvester to help both food insecure residents and restaurants make it through these difficult times, Appetite for Good invites donors to purchase vouchers for a local restaurant meal and gives the vouchers to nonprofits like CSA to distribute to their clients. Since its launch in July 2020, the program has served over 1,600 meals. The Los Altos Community Foundation recently became the fiscal sponsor for this new community initiative. Learn more by clicking here.