Student artists support Empty Bowls event
Upper St. Clair High School students created and donated more than 120 bowls to support the 21st annual Empty Bowls event cohosted by Just Harvest and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank last month.
Students enrolled in art teacher Erika Valentine’s Ceramics I class began making the bowls in early October.
“Projects like this raise awareness over global issues that people face,” Ms. Valentine said. “Students enjoy knowing that the bowls they made were going toward a great cause – that alone was incentive enough for students to work hard to create these one-of-a-kind bowls. It was apparent that they took pride in the bowls they made.”
The annual Empty Bowls event is a simple community meal of bread and soup that serves as a fundraiser for the two organizations as well as stark reminder that access to a healthy meal is a struggle for many. According to Just Harvest, one in seven residents of Allegheny County are facing hunger.
Pittsburgh’s Empty Bowls event typically draws more than 1,500 people and in its past 20 years has raised more than $500,000 to fight hunger in the Pittsburgh region. Attendees select a handmade bowl – including those made by Upper St. Clair High School students – as a keepsake.
