Creighton University hosts Empty Bowls fundraiser for Siena Francis House

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Tuesday, a display of more than 1,000 unique, handmade bowls are available to buy at Creighton University.

Most are just $5 to $10.

Located in the Lied Education Center for Performing Arts until Thursday, you can buy bowls made by students, faculty and staff.

And it’s for a good cause. All the proceeds go to the Siena Francis House in downtown Omaha to help people who need food and shelter.

You can go Wednesday evening from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you do buy a bowl, you get a bowl of soup to enjoy too.

“We’re reaching the cold months, and we have amazing partners like Creighton,” said Nick Bartholomew, the Development Director at the Siena Francis House. “This money means twice to three times as much. The need for the Siena Francis house goes up considerably this time of year.”

Emily Bauer is a junior at Creighton University. She crafted multiple bowls to be bought for the fundraiser. It’s part of a service-learning class in the university’s art program. Student enrolled in the elective create bowls for this event and volunteer in-person at the Siena Francis House.

“I’m from Omaha, but a lot of people aren’t from Omaha. And so it’s good to actually get out into the community and see the people you live with every day rather than just drop in for your four years of college and leave. So, I think it’s really important to get in there and help out,” said Bauer.

The last time they did this in 2019, they raised more than $14,000. This year they hope to beat that and raise more than $15,000.

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