“Every Bowl Feeds a Soul” – Teens, Artists, Cooks Help Feed Communities

JBJ Soul Kitchen invites members of the public to participate in its upcoming Empty Bowls Event, on Saturday, September 29, 2018 from noon to 7:00 p.m. at 207 Monmouth Street in Red Bank. Participants will assist in offering hundreds of handmade bowls in return for donations to help feed people.

During the rain or shine event, participants will have the opportunity to choose any or as many bowls as they like in exchange for a $20 donation per item.  The restaurant will be serving dinner as usual from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Light refreshments and snacks will be served from noon to 3:00 p.m. The donations provide a meal for someone in the community through JBJ Soul Kitchen. A portion of proceeds will also be allocated to supporting the Art Alliance of Monmouth County.

Initiated by Colts Neck resident and Art Alliance  board member Mil Wexler-Kobrinski, the event has proven popular and successful over the past few years. The year-round effort to make bowls requires many hands. Students at Teen Arts workshops each spring are among the most prolific contributors. This year, amateur and professional artists, many volunteers, and young people from schools and arts programs in both Monmouth and Ocean Counties are joining in.

Gina Navon, a volunteer coordinator for the Art Alliance, says, “We are all humbled by our good fortune, and present this reminder to the world that there are still many among us who struggle for this simple basic human need: food.”

Wexler-Kobrinski, is a ceramic artist and painter. Her MFA thesis project focused on Empty Bowls, a project of Imagine/RENDER, a 501(c)(3) organization that fosters an international grassroots effort to raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger. The mission is to create positive and lasting change through the arts, education, and projects that build community.

Soul Kitchen was founded by Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi. The JBJ Soul Kitchen, a program of the JBJ Soul Foundation, is a community restaurant featuring fresh, healthy ingredients. Soul Kitchen serves meals to in-need customers through volunteer work and to paying customers through donation.

The Art Alliance of Monmouth County is a non-profit, member-owned and operated gallery and studio in Red Bank, whose mission is to promote the advancement of the visual arts and provide exhibition, studio and classroom space. Monmouth Arts is the official county arts agency of Monmouth County whose mission is to enrich the community by inspiring and fostering the arts. The annual Monmouth Teen Arts Festival invites all teens ages 13-19 in the county to experience professional critiques in their artistic disciplines, fun and interactive workshops (including the most popular workshop, Empty Bowls with Mil), peer performances, and exhibitions.