Busy hands help fill "Empty Bowls"

Canajoharie High School Art Teacher Kathy Van Loan and her ceramics class teamed up again to create decorative soup bowls to raise money for the Cooperstown Food Bank. Their efforts will be part of the Fourth Annual "Empty Bowls" Luncheon on February 27 at Tunnicliff Inn in Cooperstown.

Mrs. Van Loan engaged the help of former Fort Plain English teacher and now area artist MaryAnn Nellis to tackle the task.

"This is our fourth year participating and we need to give Maryann lots of credit for volunteering her time to throw all of the bowls that our students designed and glazed," said Mrs. Van Loan.

Mrs. Nellis also spent untold hours assisting in the classroom as students decorated their pieces. A total of 15 students create personalized works of art to donate. This year's group includes Gabe Acquilla, Nicole Warner, Joe McGrath, Derak Handy, Stephanie Terwilliger, Richard Riley, Josh Green, Marty Stone, Chris Evans, Rachel Christman, Chelsea Stanley, Sarah Hopler, Melody Mead, Laura Williams, and Earl Wilcox.

Empty Bowls luncheons began in 1990 as a Detroit art teacher as a way to raise money for his school's food drive. His ceramics students threw and decorated 120 bowls, one for each staff member in the school. After serving everyone a luncheon of bread and soup, the teacher's wife shared some facts about local hunger. She then invited everyone to keep their bowls as a reminder of the empty bowls around the world. Empty Bowls events are now held all over the world.

For a $15 donation, attendees will select a bowl from which to eat. Area restaurants, chefs, caterers, and other sponsors donated soup, bread, coffee, flowers, water, paper supplies and other miscellaneous items. The Tunnicliff Inn donates the use of their dining room and staff. Last year's luncheon served 285 diners and raised over $5,000.00 for the food bank which serves over 120 families each month.