Filling Empty Bowls and Backpacks
-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on April 27, 2107
The rainy weather on Sunday must have had everyone thinking of warm soup. The turnout for the 10th annual Empty Bowls filled the high school cafeteria.
“I think a lot of people like to come just to see neighbors that haven’t seen all winter. There’s a lot of visiting going on, a lot of talking. I think they’re have a great time,” said Susan Sutterer, Committee Chairperson at the annual event that raises money for the New River Community Action’s Backpack Program, which provides food for low-income children on weekends.
The price of a ticket buys more than a hot lunch. Empty Bowls attendees pick out a bowl made by local potters to eat their soup and to take home.
But it’s a difficult choice for many because the bowls are beautiful. “It has to speak to you,” said one attendee who was picking out a bowl. “For me, I’m thinking about eating soup out of it. I’m hungry and want a lot,” joked her friend.
The Empty Bowls event is a collective community effort. Volunteers make and serve a variety of hot soup. Ron Sutterer was one of the volunteers at the bowls table in the high school lobby. Sutterer, a potter (pictured in photo #4), has been involved in the event since its inception, making and donating bowls.
Lindsey Bledsoe, Terri Philpot and Karen Poulter show of the bowls (in photo #5) they chose. Philpot, a potter, made some of the bowls that were donated to the project. Above, volunteers Susan Sutterer (event Chair) and Deborah Arsenault are pictured showing off their Empty Bowls t-shirts.
Musicians also volunteered their time and played as people ate and socialized. Over 500 attendees were served throughout the 2 ½ hour event. – Colleen Redman
