Facing record demand and heightened uncertainty, the Arlington Food Assistance Center hopes to drum up additional support at an upcoming fundraiser.
The 13th annual “Empty Bowls” luncheon on Feb. 9 — dubbed “Soup’erbowl Sunday” for the big game taking place later in the day — has already sold out but is still accepting donations.
As AFAC prepares to dish out hearty soups while giving away hundreds of locally made ceramic bowls, Chief Development Officer Jolie Smith hopes funds raised will help the nonprofit face a hazy economic future.
“Right now we’re doing well, and we’re meeting the demand, but I don’t know what tomorrow brings,” Smith told ARLnow.
As many as 360 people are expected to partake in this year’s sold-out event, Smith said.
“In the last two years, we’ve doubled our fundraising efforts, and this will be our best year yet,” she said. “It just keeps growing.”
Attendees can expect a feel-good event with live music, a local artisans’ pottery sale and more at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Each guest chooses a homemade ceramic bowl to take home as a reminder that many in the community “live weekly with empty bowls.”
All proceeds from the event go toward the 37-year-old nonprofit’s efforts to serve a record high number of clients — currently totaling about 4,000 families per week, or 11,000 people.
Although AFAC is able to manage current needs, it will have to far exceed its current $9 million budget to do so in coming months, Smith predicts. It could cost as much as $1.5 million extra just to keep meeting community needs through June.
The organization received $750,000 in one-time funding from the Arlington County Board in November — something Smith said helped bridge the gap in 2024. But she’s not sure what comes next.
“We’re preparing for the worst,” Smith said. “I know that the number that we spend is going to, probably, keep going up, because well, with food prices, everything’s so expensive. Look at what has happened with eggs.”
AFAC recently halted its egg distribution in response to rising costs associated with the national spread of avian flu. Under current circumstances, providing eggs would have cost $30,000 per week — an unattainable expense, Smith said.
The decision, although temporary, was not made lightly.
“That’s discontinued coming up in the next two, three weeks,” Smith said. “We’ll bring them back as soon as we can, but we just can’t do it.”
AFAC is also bracing for the implications of potential cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the country’s largest food assistance program.
The group urges its clients to apply for SNAP to receive additional assistance. While the program was left unscathed by President Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze federal funding this week, advocates have expressed fears of the budget cuts predicted to occur under his second administration.
Though much remains uncertain, AFAC is committed to its purpose, promising to serve everyone who walks through its doors with a referral.
“We’re in full support of our mission and protecting our clients,” Smith said.
