Attendees select their hand-crafted bowl at the 2016 Empty Bowls Project at Woodland High School. The event in Woodland, which benefits the Woodland Action Center, made more than $6,000 altogether among ticket sales, donations, auction and raffle items this year.
Dozens of bowls were on display during the 2016 Empty Bowls project at Woodland High School. Although Woodland’s event for this year has passed, Ridgefield will be hosting its own version of the project Dec. 2, benefitting the Ridgefield Family Resource Center.
Now is the time of year when communities in North County take part in an annual event highlighting the need for hunger relief close to home.
Both Ridgefield and Woodland have groups taking part in the Empty Bowls Project, with Woodland’s event having occurred earlier this month and with Ridgefield’s own iteration happening Dec. 2. The event utilizes the work of artists through handmade ceramic bowls which serve as the serving vessel for soup, the meal of the night for the event.
The event’s roots date back more than 25 years after its founding by Lisa Blackburn and Art teacher John Hartom.
According to information from the national program, Hartom wanted to make a charitable event that would focus on art — specifically giving artists and art students a way to participate in charity. That first year in the 1990-1991 school year Hartom had his students make the bowls to be a part of the project, eventually forming “Empty Bowls” proper the next year.
Locally, Ridgefield and Woodland’s own events are similar with the presentation, though
Woodland’s version of Empty Bowls is coordinated and benefits the Woodland Action Center, a food bank and community resource center. Their event occurred Nov. 9 and managed to grow from Woodland’s inaugural year in the project in 2016.
According to information from Woodland Action Center, for 2017 the event sold 125 tickets, and with the silent auction, raffle of the floral centerpieces and donations totalled a little more than $6,000, about 50 percent more than the first year.
For this year Woodland had support in Clark College students who through a grant from Arts of Clark County made and donated more than 200 bowls for the event, as well as ceramic items for the auction. The college students weren’t the only ones helping out, as Woodland High School SkillsUSA students prepared the soup served for the event.
For Ridgefield’s upcoming event the structure is a bit different. Ridgefield High School’s National Honor Society coordinates the event, along with the support of several area restaurants. Ridgefield Art Club is behind the production of the bowls, and unlike Woodland’s event where tickets are sold ahead of time, for Ridgefield’s event attendees are invited to just show up to the event.
Ridgefield’s participation in the Empty Bowls Project is also in benefit of a local resource, the Ridgefield Family Resource Center which provides support for students and families through clothing and food.
Ridgefield National Honor Society member Spencer Zante said other groups in the high school have their own fundraisers for the resource center, and Empty Bowls was a way for the honor society to do their part. Zante said having the public event was one more way for fostering community in Ridgefield while also supporting a good cause.
“It’s a good way to, first of all, have good soup, and be able to give back to the community … their fellow citizens,” Zante said.
