Hunger is a problem millions of Americans face every day.
One in five youngsters face hunger as well.
From lack of work to rising grocery prices, food can be difficult to put on the table, something that the national movement Empty Bowls understands.
Started in Michigan in 1990 by art teacher John Hartom, Empty Bowls was a project for his students to understand the prevalence of hunger in the nation and provide a way to combat that.
Although Hartom retired in 1999, his idea did not.
In 2012, his idea was picked up by Northeast Ohio’s Empty Bowls by the Lake board of members, including Laura Kirchner.
“The project comes with the mission to raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger in our neighborhood,” Kirchner said.
Since its start, the local Empty Bowls effort has raised over $93,000, a number she said expects to grow by $20,00 this year.
Empty Bowls by the Lake has been running since its inception in 2012, providing service to communities from as far west as Put-In-Bay to as far east as Chagrin Falls.
Potters, students and volunteers work together to create handcrafted bowls and local restaurants donate soup for the event.
“The bowls are made as a way to symbolize the empty bowls all throughout the world,” Kirchner said.
This year’s event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nov. 19, at Avon Lake High School, 175 Avon Belden Road in Avon Lake.
It will feature live entertainment, including local artist Johnny Martins.
A silent auction and raffle will take place during the event with prizes including signed sports memorabilia and more.
A $20 donation is requested and will include the bowl and unlimited soup and bread.
All proceeds from the event will go toward Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio, LCCC’s Commodore Cupboard and other local food banks in the area.
In preparation for the event, art students from over 15 schools prepared the bowls along with local potters like Ann Bort, who was the first art teacher to join the project in 2012.
“It’s just one of those events that when you look around and see everyone, it just amazes me to see how many people want to help,” Kirchner said.
