As part of their weekly meeting the Manchester-Essex Club gathered on an early Spring morning with distinguished guest incoming District Governor Pooja Singla at the Historic Essex Shipbuilding Museum Schoolhouse to paint bowls in support of the Open Door Food Pantry's major fundraiser, the Empty Bowl.In 2024 the Open Door served 12,000, providing over 2M pounds of food and 165,000 meals to those on Greater Cape Ann and surrounding communities with food insecurity. The fundraiser is on May 2, 4 - 8 pm at Cruiseport in Gloucester. Guests can choose and keep a soup bowl handcrafted for this community event, and the meal is simple—soup, bread, and a cookie. Tickets are 20 ($15 for children under 10) and available at the door.