Bowled over by support

Editor's note: This corrects the organization the funds will go toward.

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will conclude this evening in Laguna Beach, when the community unites over a "bowlluck" supper.

The Hunger Bowl, sponsored by the city's Housing and Human Services Committee, will serve to strengthen compassion and awareness about homelessness and provide funding for the Laguna Relief and Resource Center, which currently houses 45 local homeless people.

The event, to be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Neighborhood Congregational Church, will include a variety of soup dishes donated by Laguna's restaurants, live music entertainment and a silent auction of bowl art created by artists from across the country.

An array of artwork by the homeless, from plein air paintings to pen-ink drawings, will also be for sale throughout the evening.

"In the past, the event has been about spreading awareness," said Faye Chapman, host and author of "Faces of the Shadows," a photographic collection of the homeless community. "We've done a great job accomplishing that, so this year, we're focused on raising money for the Shelter."

A 30-piece collection of bowls, ranging from $20 to $500, will be available through a silent auction.

Guests can bid on anything from a small "yin-yang" bowl sent from London to a "unity" pot intricately painted by Sawdust artist Nikolai Erngren to Guinotte Wise's 16-pound bowl sculpture made of license plates, signs and other obscure objects.

Chapman has also cleverly designed a newspaper bowl, in which she has pasted articles about the homeless written in the past year onto a wooden bowl.

"Proceeds will benefit site management at the shelter as well as the Resource Center Job Program, in which seven members of the Shelter are hired to clean, cook, launder or help maintain grounds," she said.

"We currently pay with two bus passes per week or grocery or Starbucks cards, but we'd like to be able to give more."

The committee hopes to stir in at least 200 people, Chapman said, all of whom will receive a clay pinch-pot bowl specially made by children at the Boys & Girls Club or students at St. Catherine's School.

The food and clothing drives, which have collected generous donations throughout the week, will remain open through the event.

Non-perishable food items like canned meat, beans and rice are needed most, as are socks and coats. Toiletries like tooth brushes, shampoo and cream-rinse, body lotion, razors and combs would also be appreciated, Chapman said.

Tickets to the event are $45 per person and can be purchased at Sotheby's, located at 381 Forest Ave. or at the door. Monetary donations may be mailed to the Relief and Resource Center, P.O. Box 4481, Laguna Beach 92652. Anyone who is interested in volunteering at the Shelter can contact FayeChapman01@gmail.com.