CBC Manitoba + The Empty Bowls Gala

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Food bank auction raises $225K

By CBC News

Elton John, Neil Young, Muhammad Ali and Angelina Jolie were among the celebrities who provided specially decorated and autographed bowls to be auctioned off for a Winnipeg food bank.

Elton John, Neil Young, Muhammad Ali and Angelina Jolie were among the celebrities who provided specially decorated and autographed bowls to be auctioned off Tuesday evening for a Winnipeg food bank.

The celebrities weren't on hand for the Empty Bowls Auction, but their creations were, and when the bidding was done, the bowls helped raise $225,000 for Winnipeg Harvest food bank.

The top bid was $2,500 for a bowl donated by Leonard Cohen.

"The beauty of it is that ? every dollar donated can lever that amount 20 times [in food value]," said event co-chair Barry McArton. "So a quarter-million dollars turns into $5 million worth of food."

And the event cost Harvest nothing to put on, so everything raised goes directly to the food bank, he said.

"Everything's been donated ? all the food, all the courier services, all the staff for [the] event," he said.

The need for the food bank's services is constantly growing, McArton said.

There was a 21 per cent increase in people using Winnipeg Harvest in September 2009, compared to September 2008.