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Empty Bowls Fundraiser Supports the Fight to End Hunger
VWC Collaborates with Ceramic Designers Association to Host the 19th Annual Event
Featured News | March 1, 2017
By Laynee H. Timlin
The 19th Annual Empty Bowls Charity Dinner will be held in Virginia Wesleyan’s Boyd Dining Center on Friday, March 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event, organized locally by the Ceramic Designers Association (CDA), has been hosted by Virginia Wesleyan for 18 of the 19 years it has been in existence in the Hampton Roads community.
The Empty Bowls project is an international grassroots movement held annually in many communities to help raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger. The very first local Empty Bowls Charity Dinner was in 1998 at Holy Family Catholic Church. Needing a larger venue, in March1999, the event moved to Virginia Wesleyan for the first time, thanks to the efforts of VWC Alumna Susan Alexander Mizell '80, who was responsible for bringing the event to the College where it has been an annual happening ever since.
In addition to providing the venue, Virginia Wesleyan also arranges for volunteers for the event and participation from the college community. Professor of Art Phil Guilfoyle, a member of CDA, has offered a Winter session course that resulted in VWC art students contributing their handmade pottery bowls to the event. Guilfoyle has also performed potter wheel demonstrations at the event, contributed his works to the silent auction, and donated bowls. Sodexo Food Service at Virginia Wesleyan provides the soups served during dinner, including the exclusive Virginia Wesleyan Chowder, a cream based soup with fish from local waters.
"Empty Bowls is an event we look forward to hosting on our campus every year,” says Diane Hotaling, VWC Director of Community Service. “Our partners in the Ceramic Designers Association have run a quality event for 18 years here that has contributed $225,500 to the hunger relief efforts in our community. We are pleased to contribute not only the space, but faculty and student-made bowls and campus volunteers."
Several other community partners come together to donate their time, talents, and resources as well. Virginia Beach Garden Clubs provide the flower arrangements at the tables, Baker’s Crust provides the bread, Krispy Kreme donates donuts, and local musicians offer entertainment during dinner.
As in years past, the first stop for guests at the event is the empty bowl room where about 800 handmade ceramic bowls made by local artists are displayed. Attendees search for just the right bowl—one they will fill with soup and then take home that evening. The empty bowls serve as a reminder that around the world, and in our own community, there are bowls that go empty, people who are hungry. As attendees wait in line for soup, they have opportunities to view pottery demonstrations and make their first bids in the silent art auction, comprised of works donated largely by the talented members of CDA. As the event nears to a close, the bowls still available go on sale for attendees to purchase.
All funds raised benefit local charities such as the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, Help and Emergency Response Shelter, Oasis Social Ministries, Samaritan House, and Union Mission.
Tickets for Empty Bowls are available in numerous locations throughout the community, including the Scribner Bookstore on campus. Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 at the door.
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