People In Business Who Care at the Berquist Company, north of Bigfork, is participating by purchasing $10 tickets for all 165 of their employees. They will make a soup meal to serve to employees at the factory.

Soup and bread makers from the Edge of the Wilderness will bring in homemade food to provide the meals served at Empty Bowls.

Other area residents have been busy creating bowls for the Empty Bowls Project. On February 10 and 24, the art room at the Bigfork School was open to community members to make bowls for Empty Bowls. Experienced potters Karen Haberle, Lynn Nachbar, and art teacher Roberta Steinhart were there to help. People of all ages came in and created ceramic bowls. The school students have also been making bowls in class. Area artists provide the majority of the bowls.

The Northern Itasca Food Shelf, located on the south side of the Over 50 Club in Bigfork will receive the proceeds from the Edge of the Wilderness Empty Bowls Project. People using the Food Shelf come from as far as Togo, Wirt, Bowstring and down the Scenic Highway, as well as Bigfork, Effie, and Marcell. The Food Shelf, sponsored by local churches and organizations, is staffed by Bonnie Cole and Shirley Scherer and open every week on Thursday from 12:30 to 3 p.m. The Food Shelf is seeing greater demand than ever this year because of high unemployment.

Roberta Steinhart is the organizer of the Empty Bowls Project with help from Joy Anderson, Nichole Baker, Lynn Nachbar, Rose Danielson, Judy Nixon, Nancy Moland, and Laura Rajala.

Empty Bowls not only provides funds to fill the Food Shelf, it is also fun to attend. For $10 at the door you may pick out one of the hand crafted bowls, receive a bowl or two of homemade soup, homemade bread, a drink and dessert supplied by Edge of the Wilderness churches and individuals.

The Edge of the Wilderness Empty Bowls will be open for lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and dinner (4 to 6 p.m.) at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church in Bigfork on March 15.