www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 16, 2015 | 8 Empty Bowls provides sustenance to those in need by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff early and select a bowl or mug from the variety that have been decorated. A variety of gourmet soups They will then be invited to fill it with a variety of gourmet soups crafted and served by 15 local restaurants. Participants can later take the bowl/mug home as a reminder of the hope they have provided to Halton's homeless. Entertainment will be provided by violinist Leslie Ashworth, who will be greeting attendees with her music when they enter the Dining Hall; ArtHouse Chorus of Voices Program with students from Sheridan Public School; and the Wavin' Flags Urban Dance Team featuring Irvin Washington and Hollywood Jade. Event co-chair Gladysse Cristofaro said Empty Bowls is an event that brings the community together like no other. The long-time Oakville resident, who has participated in Empty Bowls for the last five years, said there are so many ways community members can participate, from painting the bowls and sponsoring the event to being in attendance. "For me, on a personal note, it allowed me to connect with my daughter," said Cristofaro, who has spent a number of evenings with her 15-year-old daughter painting the bowls leading up to the event each year. see Empty on p.9 Come Sunday (Oct. 18), there will be more than 800 empty bowls on display -- and then filled with steaming hot soup -- at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School, a visual reminder of the single-parent families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Each bowl, unique as a snowflake, comes with a one-of-a-kind design and a message of hope. The bowls or mugs have been handpainted by community members over the last few weeks and each will find a new home after this Sunday. An annual tradition They've been created for Empty Bowls, an annual tradition that began nine years ago. The event, which puts a unique spin on a soup kitchen, returns to the community to raise funds for Home Suite Hope (HSH), a non-profit charitable organization that provides transitional housing, education and training to single-parent families facing homelessness in the community. Tickets cost $60 for adults and $30 for children aged five to 12 years. Cost for a group of 10 is $575. Empty Bowls takes place at the Linbrook Road school between noon and 3 p.m. with community members encouraged to come Kate Sane, 6, works on her bowl during paint night at Panera Bread, the official launch of Home Suite Hope's (HSH) signature fundraiser Empty Bowls. Empty Bowls is Sunday (Oct. 18) at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School. | photo by Nikki Wesley Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) Warm and dry. AUTUMN WEEKEND DAY SPECIALS HOUSEHOLD MOVES #584 and #566 The Winter in Rustic Brown and Black $229.95