In 1990 a high school art teacher in Michigan helped his students solve a problem. They were searching for a way to raise funds to support a food drive. What evolved was a class project to make ceramic bowls for a fund raising meal. Guests were served a simple meal of soup and bread, and were invited to keep the bowl as a reminder of hunger in the world. By the following year the originators had developed this concept into Empty Bowls, a project to provide support for organizations that fight hunger.
The basic idea for Empty Bowls is simple. Participants create ceramic bowls, then serve a simple meal of soup and bread. Guests choose a bowl to use that day and to keep as a reminder that there are always Empty Bowls in the world. In exchange for meal and a bowl, the guest gives a suggested minimum donation of ten dollars. The proceeds are then used to fight hunger.
Ben, Peter and I purchased some bowls to paint and we will be using them as gifts for Christmas. We plan on going to the meal on November 17th as well. And we think this just might be a yearly tradition for us!
Here are the pics:
