- February 7, 2025
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Students from seven Volusia County schools are creating pottery bowls to be presented and used during a fundraiser dinner at the 10th annual Empty Bowl Event to prevent hunger through the Halifax Urban Ministries non-profit.
The dinner, held on January 20, 2018, will be served by students from the culinary department of Bethune-Cookman University and Mainland High school. Guests will have a meal of soup, salad, bread and dessert, donated by eight local restaurants.
Money from purchased tickets will go toward providing 140 hot meals for the homeless at HUM's Bridge of Hope or by providing two 40 pound bags of groceries to families in need. Eight to 10 families with receive full meals through this.
The food will be served in the bowls that were handmade by the students and their teachers.
"This is one of our big fundraisers," Robin Lasky, director of Development and Community Relations for Halifax Urban Ministries, said. "Every person that comes to the event gets to take home a souvenir bowl made by our children."
Empty Bowls was started 10 years ago at Mainland High School with the help of art teacher Marcia Bobbitt.
Now, the event has businesses that provide the funds for the supplies to make the bowls. Those
businesses also provide funding for HUM's work in the community.
Spruce Creek High
Spruce Creek High School art teacher Heather Alexander was involved in the Empty Bowls event during its early stages. Alexander, who has been making and glazing bowls since college, previously set up two Empty Bowls events at the school.
According to Alexander, it was Bobbitt who made the charity event even larger by bringing in donors to cover materials and eventually pass off the hosting responsibilities to the university.
Alexander's students have made about 100 bowls that were used for the event in the past. This year, she hopes to have at least 50 to donate. Students started making their bowls in October and have to follow guidelines in order for them to be used.
According to Alexander, Empty Bowls has not only grown but provided a way to reach more people in the community.
"Artists are responsible for giving back to their communities; people are interested in handmade crafts," Alexander said. "It's a way to both promote art and the artwork made by students and also bring attention to a need in our community."
Tickets are $20 and are available at HalifaxUrbanMinistries.org or at Jennings Insurance Office, 109 Magnolia St., New Smyrna Beach, Halifax Urban Ministries 54 S Ridgewood Ave., Ormond Beach or 215 Bay Street, Daytona Beach.
