The Adrian College Art Department provided ceramic bowls for the Empty Bowls event last Thursday. (Photo by Anthony Spangler)
Last Thursday, Adrian College was the second in a line of four local establishments that participated in Empty Bowls, a fundraiser hosted by AC and the Art Department. Having been held in Caine Student Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the fundraiser is for the benefit of The Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.
Empty Bowls is a nationwide movement started in 1990 to take action against hunger. What started out as an isolated project turned into a phenomenon, helping people all across the US raise millions of dollars for starving US citizens. The Empty Bowl’s website clearly states its mission “to raise money to help organizations fight hunger, to raise awareness about the issues of hunger and food security, and to help bring about an attitude that will not allow hunger to exist.”
For the fundraiser, ceramic bowls were made by AC staff and students, as well as the Community Clay class offered on AC’s campus. The bowls cost between $10 to $20 dollars.
AC’s catering service, Sodexo, provided the soup to fill the bowls after being purchased. The proceeds went to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen.
The first event was held on Jan. 21 at Evans Street Station in Tecumseh. There alone, the cause received $5,500.
Sophomore Ben Coffman, an art major at AC, said that art professor Pi Benio who was heading the project approached him last semester, asking if he would like to be involved with throwing some of the bowls. The “Empty Bowl Throw-a-thon” was a three-hour session that gave art students the opportunity to throw bowls with provided clay.
Coffman says that collectively, the program has earned just $3,000 shy of their $10,000 goal. But with the upcoming events to be held, one of them being hosted by the First United Methodist Church in Adrian on Feb.21, hopefully the goal will be met. Students are still working hard to throw more bowls.
“We all believe its [sic] a great cause and we get to spread artwork into people’s lives while helping others,” said Coffman. “It’s really a lot of fun too and who doesn’t love playing in the mud?”