Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Empty Bowls

Yesterday was MLK Day, so I had the day off from work. I went in anyway to volunteer at our company's annual celebration, which included hosting an Empty Bowls workshop. The idea behind Empty Bowls is that pottery studios and volunteers create handmade ceramic bowls for charity. The bowls are collected and then a dinner is hosted where people pay $20 for a meal of soup and bread—and they get to keep the bowl they choose. Some bowls are made by school children (like the Girl Scout troop that came in today) or by master potters like many of the people I work with. Some of the fanciest bowls made by celebrity artists are bid on in a silent auction.

The money raised goes to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Just Harvest. One of the best reasons to contribute to Empty Bowls is because it helps provide free school lunches for children from low income families. It also helps provide many of these students with free breakfast, so they are better prepared to deal with the day's challenges. 

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