FOND DU LAC, Wis. (NBC26) -- As Northeast Wisconsin continues to battle the coronavirus, the fight against hunger continues. Volunteer Stephanie Albers has made it her mission to help.
"Every single dollar that we raise today [Wednesday] goes towards our food pantries to help them through the winter," Albers said about the "Empty Bowls" fundraiser.
"Empty Bowls" is a yearly lunch held by the Envision Fond du Lac organization. Local restaurants donate soups to sell and raise money for Greater Fond du Lac food banks. Albers, an event co-chair, believes this year's event was pivotal.
"It could be me if something happens, especially during the current time with the pandemic," Albers said. "If somebody might be out of work, they might find themselves hard-pressed to be able to afford food to feed their families."
In past years, nearly 500 people have attended empty bowls and donated money for the food banks.
"Traditionally, we would have [a] room at the Radisson and people would come in ... buy tickets, have soup and sit down together with friends or with coworkers [and] enjoy their soup together," co-chair Brian Mand said.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the group did not feel comfortable holding the event indoors. So this year, the held it in a drive-thru format.
"People can come ahead of time, order tickets or come at the door and then get their soup in containers to go and enjoy them on their own at their own jobs or at home," Mand said.
And Mand is happy to see people drive up to help a good cause.
"When I see the local community coming out, buying the soup, knowing that they're helping out their community as well -- that's my favorite part" he said. "We all get to have delicious, warm soup [and] be with each other."
