Public is invited to enjoy homemade soup and bread and go home with piece of locally made pottery.
The Ferrrum College campus community and the public are invited to enjoy camaraderie, good food and the opportunity to help feed the hungry with the return of the popular Empty Bowls event, which will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sun., Dec. 2, 2012 in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room in the College’s Franklin Hall. For $10, attendees will enjoy a hot meal of made-from-scratch soup and bread served in a handcrafted bowl of their choice and then may take their “empty bowls” home. Proceeds support the Panther Packs program, which provides food for hungry children.
According to Jeff Dalton, associate professor of art and co-creator of Empty Bowls with assistant professor of environmental science Glen Stevens, college students, faculty and members of the Blue Ridge Potters Guild made 330 unique bowls for this year’s event. The project is designed to educate students about how they can make a positive difference in their communities.
“Since the first Empty Bowls event three years ago, it is one of the most important projects with which I am involved with on campus. The students, faculty, staff and local artists who rally to make this event happen really exemplify the Ferrum College motto, “Not Self, But Others.” It is incredibly satisfying to see the College and community come together for this cause to help the children,” said Dalton.
In addition, Empty Bowls raises funds for Panther Packs through a silent auction coordinated by Guild member and artist, Nell Frederickson. This year’s auction nearly doubled in size with around 40 original works of pottery, including larger bowls, platters, casseroles, and vases, which have been generously donated by members of the Blue Ridge Potters Guild and other local artists.
“Nell’s efforts in working with the friends and members of the Blue Ridge Potter’s Guild add tremendously to the success of the Empty Bowls project,” said Dalton, noting that Frederickson also contributes dozens of bowls to the event.
Panther Packs is a program at Ferrum Elementary School that sends qualifying children home for the weekend with backpacks stocked with nutritious, non-perishable food.