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On Friday, March 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., The Ninth Annual Empty Bowls Dinner will be held at Virginia Wesleyan College. Sponsored by the Ceramics Designers Association and Virginia Wesleyan College, all proceeds go to local charities. Tickets cost $20, which will get participants a handmade bowl, a soup dinner, entertainment and a silent art auction. Tickets can be purchased in the Virginia Wesleyan College bookstore.
According to Debra Chako, publicist for the Ceramic Designers Association, the main objective of this event is "to raise money to feed the hungry."
The Marlin Grille in the Jane P. Batten Student Center is set up as the "Bowl Room." Everyone who attends the event gets to select a bowl to take home and keep. Although many people believe that they must arrive early at the event to get the best selection of bowls, this is not true, as bowls appear all throughout the day.
"Bowls are replenished throughout the evening so that all dinner guests have the opportunity to a great selection regardless of their time of arrival," Chako said. The bowls that are not claimed go on sale at the end of the event, which brings in additional revenue.
Attendees come in groups of 20 to the Bowl Room to pick out a bowl.
"It's sort of like a treasure hunt," Chako said. "There are tables and tables filled with bowls. We put bowls out all night long. Some of them are really works of art."
"The idea here is empty bowls," Director of Community Services Diane Hotaling said. "We drive that point home." There are slips of paper on the bottom of each bowl with facts about hunger and how much of a problem it is, including the fact that each year 7 million children die from hunger.
Robyn Bailey is an alumna of Virginia Wesleyan, and also the event co-chair.
"For many of the potters it is an honor and a privilege to share our love of clay while helping those in our community," she said.
"We can all do something small to reduce hunger," Chako said. "The bowl they take home is a reminder of that."
Past participants have used their bowls for a variety of purposes, not just the "practical."
"I entertain once a week, and I use them then," Bookstore Cashier Mary Douglas Moody said.
"I've never used it for eating," Mail Clerk Thelma Muhlenbruch said of her bowls, noting that she throws things into them. "They collect things."
The event has continued for so many years and enjoyed continued success for many reasons.
"People like it the way it is," Hotaling said. "It's due to the good collaboration between the facility and people here at Wesleyan. People want to give toward hunger."
Last year alone, the event raised $17,600. In the eight years the project has been going, it has raised nearly $100,000. The money is distributed to local charities including The Union Mission, The Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, The Help and Emergency Outreach Shelter, The Oasis Social Ministries and The Food Bank of South Western Virginia. Guests can also bring canned goods, which will be collected by the Food Bank.
Past attendees have enjoyed different aspects. Many like the fact that they get to pick a bowl, and enjoy the variety of the bowls themselves. The entertainment and music are also popular. Still others love the fact that proceeds go to charity and that with their ticket purchase, they are aiding in the fight to stop hunger.
Hotaling notes that the popularity of the event is growing. "People call me around this time of year asking if tickets are on sale yet," she said.
"I fully enjoy the evening and I fully support the reason behind it," Moody added.
"We could never pull this off in such elegant and fun ways without Wesleyan," Chako said. "I can't say strongly enough how appreciative we are."
"Our partnership with VWC really has helped to increase the number of guests we can have at the dinner, which of course increases the amount of money we can raise for the charities," Bailey added.
One past Virginia Wesleyan student is even thinking of starting his own Empty Bowls program in South Carolina, where he is currently volunteering. Brad Cashman, who graduated in 2002, is currently working for Crisis Ministries.
"I am the Volunteer Coordinator at Crisis Ministries, the main provider for the homeless in the state of South Carolina," he said. "It is my love for the community and the arts that has given me the idea to eventually start a non-profit organization in the Charleston area. I have thought about starting an Empty Bowls event down here in the next year or two to hopefully benefit Crisis Ministries. There is no guaranteethat it will happen, but it is a project I am lookinginto."
"It's a fun event for a good cause that is run very well," Hotaling said. "We meet a real community need with this fundraiser."
"It's very easy when you have a nice life to forget what it's like for some people," Chako said. "The dinner is gentle reminder for those of us who are not hungry to remember those who are."
Hunger seriously affects one in eight families in Virginia, and nearly 100,000 children in South Hampton Roads experience hunger each year.
For more information, contact Diane Hotaling at 757.455.3216.