Three not-for-profit Red Bank institutions — including The Art Alliance (above) and JBJ Soul Kitchen (below) — join forces on August 30, during a special event aimed at battling hunger and building community partnerships.

Every bowl feeds a soul….and on Sunday, August 30, several Red Bank-based nonprofit entities will pool their resources and energies for a joint fundraiser will be held in the garden of JBJ Soul Kitchen at 207 Monmouth Street.

Taking place from 11 am to 3 pm, the special event is designed to raise awareness in the fight to end hunger and support the missions of Soul Kitchen and The Art Alliance of Monmouth County in building community partnerships.

Part of the collective endeavor known as The Empty Bowl Project, the fundraiser will present a display of handcrafted artisanal bowls, with a $20 donation granting the purchaser a “paid forward card” which will help feed a person in need at Soul Kitchen. Light refreshments will be served for the duration of the event.

A follow-up event will be held inside the Art Alliance gallery at 33 Monmouth Street, during the season-opening art exhibit and reception on the evening of September 12. A sampling of the bowls may be viewed in the gallery windows at the Art Alliance through the month of August.

The Empty Bowl Project was coordinated by ceramicist and painter Mil Wexler Kobrinski in collaboration with the Monmouth County Arts Council. A board member of The Art Alliance, Ms. Wexler Kobrinski focused her MFA thesis on Empty Bowls, which is a project of the 501(c) 3 organization Imagine/RENDER, an international grassroots effort to raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger.

During this year’s annual Teen Arts Festival at Brookdale Community College, The Monmouth County Arts Council invited young artists to create 200 bowls, which were donated to this project and glazed by members of the Art Alliance.

The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen was invited to participate in the public awareness and fundraising campaign to strengthen community engagement. “Part of the Soul Kitchen mission is to raise awareness of food insecurity in one’s own community; a project like this is a great way to shed light on community interests and needs,” said Marylou Caputo, JBJ Soul Kitchen, Community Coordinator.

Take it here  for more information about the Art Alliance, and here for more about Soul Kitchen.