Ending hunger one bowl at a time

With a $20 donation, participants can fight hunger in Luther’s fifth annual Empty Bowls project, held in the CFA Sunday, March 7 from 11-2 p.m. Attendees can enjoy a variety of soups and breads provided by local businesses, restaurants and individuals. The event will use bowls created by Luther students and Decorah residents, which the diners can then take home.

Local businesses, restaurants and individuals will provide 200 gallons of 20 varieties of soups and 200 loaves of bread.

Aside from being used for meals, bowls made by Luther students and local potters will be displayed in the pottery classroom in the Center for the Arts.

Visiting Associate Professor of Art George Lowe began the local Empty Bowls project in 2005, selling 500 bowls.

“It’s amazing to me how you can take a little lump of clay and turn that into $20 of donations,” said Lowe.

The international Empty Bowls project, based in Burnsville, N.C., is a grassroots movement to help end hunger, according to its Web site, http://emptybowls.net. The project has three goals in mind: to raise money to aid organizations in fighting hunger, to raise awareness relating to the issues of hunger and food security and to help bring about an attitude that will not allow hunger to exist.

Lowe first learned about the Empty Bowls project from Ann Darling in Sarasota, Fla., where their Empty Bowls event raised $60,000 to fight hunger.

Lowe’s work at the First Lutheran Church of Decorah Food Pantry from 2003-2005 inspired him to begin the Empty Bowls project at Luther College.

The 2009 Empty Bowls project sold $1,500 in bowls, raised an additional $16,500 and received $1,200 supplemental funding from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

As with previous Empty Bowls events at Luther, the donations were divided between five local food pantries including the First Lutheran Church Food Pantry, Decorah Lutheran Food Closet, Northeast Iowa Community Action Center and two others in Waconia and Calmar. $5,000 went to Lutheran World Relief.

“One hundred volunteers, partly composed of a large group of students, did everything, including making and glazing bowls, helping set up and working the day of the event,” said Sue Halverson, administrative assistant for Student Life.

A similar turnout is expected in March.

“I would say that we will be having the same number of volunteers again this year,” Volunteer Coordinator Lori Lechtenberg said. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

Lowe hopes to raise $20,000, sell $1,000 worth of bowls and have more student involvement.

“I would like to see more Luther students come,” Lowe said.

That is not to say though that the Empty Bowls project does not have popularity amongst Luther students.

“It is a great way to contribute to the hungry and the homeless, and most of the money goes to local food shelves,” past participant Jacob Otte (‘12) said. “Everybody gets a bowl and everybody wins.”

Come together with the Decorah community to fight hunger and support this year’s Empty Bowls project March 7.