Empty Bowls at SRU

I attended the Empty Bowls event at 5:05 p.m., that was held at the Smith Student Center all day long. The event was to help raise money for local hunger-fighting organizations, such as Feed My Sheep. 

A student signs in to receive dinner and buy their own bowl.

Participants could get dinner there, with a meal consisting of soup, bread and a drink. They could also purchase a bowl of their choosing. The event was held on the 3rd floor of the student center and had multiple tables and chairs set up for people to enjoy their meal. 

People sit and talk about their day while eating the soup and bread.

There was plenty of room for people to sit and see what it feels like to only eat soup and bread. Students get to enjoy this opportunity every year. The goal of the event is to help spread hunger awareness and raise money for local food hunger organizations. Students also volunteered to help pass out the food to those who attended the event. The bowls were provided by the university's own Potters Guild, which is an organization that creates ceramics on campus. They hand-make each individual piece, and the work with events such as Empty Bowls. They also like to be involved in the community and host open studio sessions where students on campus can see what the Potters Guild does.




Students are looking and choosing which bowl will be theirs. 

Participants were greeted with multiple tables of bowls for purchase.

Once students entered the area, they were greeted with multiple tables of bowls that they could choose from, and then take home. Every bowl had its own unique shape and design. What makes them even cooler, is that they were designed by students right here on campus. This makes them even more special, because the event got to showcase student work. 







Student David Hampshire talks about his brand new bowl.

After students perused the bowls, they were able to walk over to a buffet style of food, which were served to them by volunteers. Then after receiving their food, they were able to sit at the tables and get an experience like any other. This event was not promoting what it feels like to be full, it was letting people take an experience of being hungry. 

Student volunteers are ready to serve food to participants.

After students have finished their meal, they were welcome to just sit and chat at the tables. Both money and canned goods were acceptable in order to get dinner served to you.



Morgan Sabatini talks about her new bowl from the event.

Overall, the event was extremely interesting and humbling. I participated in the event when I was a freshman here, and it was really gratifying to see how much the event has grown. While taking these pictures and videos, there was a constant stream of people coming and going into the ballroom. These types of events speak volumes about what is really happening outside of Slippery Rock, PA. For some, bread and soup is all they get. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we should all remember and be thankful for all that we have.