‘Empty Bowls’ raises money to feed needy children
Ninety-nine people recently attended the “Empty Bowls” fundraiser at the Greene County Fairgrounds and enjoyed a variety of soups. Needy Greene County students now will be able to continue participating a weekend food program because of the fundraiser.
Ninety-nine people attended the “Empty Bowls” event last year. The fundraiser, which is held to raise awareness about hunger in Greene County, will be held at the Greene County Fairgrounds on April 19.
WAYNESBURG — Thanks to the people who showed up and/or donated money to the “Empty Bowls” fundraiser on Sunday, April 6, needy Greene County students will now be able to continue participating in the Weekend Food Program.
In partnership with the Community Foundation of Greene County (CFGC), the Weekend Food program gives shelf-stable, child-friendly food items such as fruit juice, cereal, granola bars, apple sauce packets, crackers and cheese and pretzels to elementary school children in the county’s five school districts.
The children are those identified by teachers, the school social worker or food service employees who look for signs of not having adequate nutrition such as tiredness and crankiness. After a child is identified, the school district asks the parents for consent to have their child participate in the program.
To support the program, 99 people passed through the doors of Building 9 on the Greene County Fairgrounds in Waynesburg from noon to 3 p.m. on April 6 and enjoyed a variety of soups prepared by the Lardin House of Masontown and students of Dan Wagner, the Greene County Career and Technology Center’s (GCCTC) culinary arts instructor. The Rising Creek Bakery of Mt. Morris and the Hartley Inn of Carmichaels donated a mix of breads to accompany the soups.
GCCTC students under Wagner’s supervision prepared four to five gallons of chicken and rice soup, four-plus gallons of stuffed pepper soup, three gallons of tortellini beef soup and three to four gallons of potato cheese soup.
For their $20 entry fee, participants got to pick from 170 unique bowls done in a variety of styles, fill their selections with soup, then take home their bowl at the end of the meal. About 130 bowls were made by students at Waynesburg University under the supervision of Andrew Heisey, professor in the ceramics department and head of the university art department. Another 40 bowls were made by potters Jim and Linda Winegar, co-owners of the Artbeat Gallery in Waynesburg.
The event was organized by the Bonner Scholars at Waynesburg University and supervised by Steven Snow, a criminal justice administration senior at the university. Because donations are still coming in, Snow has not yet tallied the total amount raised at the event but expects that the final total will meet or surpass their goal of $4,000.
“We had close to $2,000 in advance ticket sales and donations even before the day of the fundraiser,” Snow said. “Ninety-nine people came through the doors on April 6, and some of the people who bought the 80 pre-sold tickets didn’t get to make it to the event.”
Snow’s father, John, made floral centerpieces that participants got to take home at the end of the event.”
Sixteen Artbeat artists also donated a number of art works with a retail market value of $1,400, which were sold in a silent auction during the fundraiser. Opening bids for the art pieces were set at half their retail value, which resulted in a $700 donation to the Weekend Food Program, which helped organizers realize their ultimate $4,000 goal.
“The Jefferson-Morgan School District started the Weekend Food Program three weeks ago with 10 to 13 students and was the last of the five Greene County school districts to come on board,” said Bettie Stammerjohn, CFGC executive director since October 1, 2006. “Across the county, between 135 and 140 students now participate in the program.”
The CFGC has been involved with the Weekend Food Program since it first started in the spring of 2012. The cost of the program averages about $5 per child per week or $195 per child over the school year. The cost for funding the program in all five county school districts is around $30,000.
“I was impressed by the number of people who came out and supported the fundraiser,” Jim Winegar said.
“I think ‘Empty Bowls’ has the potential to grow, and Linda and I would like to participate in the event should it continue in the future.”
Bonner Scholar Steven Snow plans to graduate this spring but hopes that next year’s Bonner program students will pick up the torch and organize a similar event.
“We received a lot of positive feedback from this year’s ‘Empty Bowls’ fundraiser,” Snow said.
“The network is already set up for it to sustain itself down the road.”