Raw clay will be molded into bowls and hope at the UO Craft Center on April 1.
From 1-5 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union, students can visit the Craft Center to make bowls that will be donated to Food For Lane County for its 25th annual Empty Bowls Sale on May 6 from 4-6 p.m.
The bowls that UO students make will be among 1,000 handmade bowls and glassware sold at the Food For Lane County Dining Room restaurant in downtown Eugene. The bowl prices will be $10 and up, and all of the proceeds will go to the food pantry.
Last year’s event raised $15,000, which translated to 45,000 meals given to people in need, according to events and media relations coordinator Dawn Marie Woodward.
Ceramics technician for the Craft Center Mariah Williams said events like this receive a helping hand from artists in the community because most artists want to share their talents for the good of their community.
“This is a nationwide event for a lot of food pantries, and pretty much all ceramic artisans always volunteer their time and abilities to make bowls for the fundraiser,” Williams said. “We’re involved because we have the skills to help, and we want to promote local art and ceramics while also helping the community.”
Woodward said Food for Lane County and other pantries like it started hosting events like the Empty Bowl Sale after a group of kids from the Midwest wanted to help the community by making ceramic bowls. After they made the bowls, they invited community members who were struggling to feed themselves to have dinner and soup with them. After the meal the children gave the bowls to the community members.
“The idea of making bowls and sharing with the community caught on very fast, and Food for Lane County is one of the oldest ones to do it,” Woodward said. The Empty Bowl Sale started one year after those Midwest kids made the ceramic bowls.
Twenty-five years later the event has become one of the primary ways to see and buy ceramics from local artists, as well as students who are looking to help their community. Students with any experience can make a bowl on April 1, but first-timers are encouraged to arrive right at 1 p.m.
“(The Empty Bowl Sale) only happens because of the generosity from the local artists and other community members,” Woodward said. “Without them we wouldn’t even have an event, but thanks to their generosity we’re able to put on a sale that greatly benefits people in our community who need our help.”
—By Craig Garcia, Public Affairs Communications intern