In the state of Utah, one in nine people struggle with hunger. The mission of St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall is to decrease that statistic by providing meals to those in need and those impacted by homelessness.

Catholic Community Services of Utah (CCS) hosted its yearly Empty Bowls fundraiser to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall. They invited the public, and while they were able to raise funds, the event needed more attention and awareness.

In 2018, the Future Leaders Board with St. Vincent de Paul took on the challenge of making the event more successful and memorable. Amelia Roper (FFKR’s Human Resources Director) sat on the Future Leaders Board and had the opportunity to serve as chair for the 2018 Empty Bowls fundraiser. To help increase awareness of the event, we provided a larger venue by hosting it at our Salt Lake HQ, co-promoting through social media, and inviting industry partners and clients. Through social media and word of mouth, we had over 300 people attend, including our clients and consultants.

Empty Bowls operates entirely on donations. Before our partnership, they raised about $5,000 in a single evening. In 2018, they raised over $15,000 in one night! This provided over 16,484 meals to those in need. With each subsequent year, funds raised have been $15,000 or more!

We’ve continued our partnership with CCS to host Empty Bowls (excluding pandemic years). Every year, we’ve increased the donations and awareness for the mission of St Vincent de Paul.