Tulsa Group Donates Wooden Bowls To Raise Money For Food Bank

A Tulsa group is auctioning off handmade wooden bowls to help the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma raise money at its annual fundraiser later this month.

The Northeastern Oklahoma Woodturners’ Association said these bowls represent the empty bowls that many people in Green Country have and how the Food Bank is helping fix that.

The wooden bowls are worth more than $13,000 and were all created by Tulsa artists. The money they raise will go to the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

"As woodturners, myself personally as well, truly believe there's a lot of people in Tulsa here that are worse off than most of us are,” said Jeff Bonem, with the Northeastern Oklahoma Woodturners’ Association. “And we want to give back to the community, and this is a key way we can do it."

Club members have been making these bowls for the past ten years and it's become an important part of the Food Bank's fundraiser.

"Now, I think it's more of it's just become something that's signature to the event,” said Cindy Webb, the Vice President of Development and Community Relations for the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. “It's their beauty, it's the tradition of having them there, that makes it something fun to have there, something different that other events don't have."

This year, 29 different artists created 57 wooden bowls. Some of the bowls took more than 100 hours of work to complete.

Woodturners said they enjoy turning their hobby into something good.

"It's a real passion for us, to get new members involved with this, because it's a worthwhile cause, and it's a way we get to show off our skill and our talents," said Bonem.

The Food Bank said they appreciate all the hard work, and the money will help the Food Bank feed thousands of people who are hungry.

"We need everybody's help,” said Webb. “We need everybody to help at whatever level they can, to help feed our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues. Because they're not going to reach out and ask us on their own."

People can bid on these bowls at the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma annual fundraiser, Dinner Party, at the Cox Convention Center, on April 20.

Click here to buy tickets.