From 2008-2018, my student potters channeled their talent in the ceramics studio towards fundraising for a worthwhile cause. Our first Empty Bowls took place on a cold night in December 2008 at Malvern Prep’s Stewart Hall, staffed by student volunteers and showcasing around 400 bowls available for our guests.

Ten years and ten annual events later, we raised over $100,000 for Bethesda Project. This Philadelphia organization that operates thirteen different programs ranging from emergency overnight shelter to long-term, permanent housing for homeless and formerly homeless men and women. Bethesda Project is more than a homeless shelter; the organization forms long-term relationships with their guests and residents, with a focus on affirming the dignity of the individual. Bethesda Project also focuses on building reciprocal benefits to residents and volunteers, helping volunteers to learn and grow through their experiences in service.

Empty Bowls is a national organization that has been supporting thousands of these events worldwide since 1990, when high school art teachers in Michigan helped their students solve a problem and make a change. They were searching for a way to raise funds to support a food drive. What evolved was a class project to make ceramic bowls for a fundraising meal. Guests were served a simple meal of soup in a bowl they kept as a reminder of hunger in the world. By the following year, the originators developed this concept into Empty Bowls, a project to provide support for food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that fight hunger. The Imagine/RENDER Group, a nonprofit organization, was created to promote the project. Since then, Empty Bowls events have been held throughout the world, raising millions of dollars to combat hunger.

The guiding principle of Empty Bowls is an important concept: When one develops a talent, it comes with the responsibility to seek and learn ways to use that talent in the service of others. We work hard, create as a community, and look for ways to share our talents with others.

In 2017, I piloted a fully project-based class titled Art and Advocacy. Students collaborated to redesign Empty Bowls as a new project, Cups for Caritas, which had some significant changes. The biggest change: We made over 800 mugs instead of bowls. Scratch that—the biggest change: Students handled all planning, logistics, volunteer management, and production for the event. It was a profound exercise in leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration.