Empty Bowls Shines Light on Hunger

Empty Bowls in Recognition of Bare Tables

With Thanksgiving just around the corner and even more holidays just a step behind, the end of the year is a time when many families gather in celebration around tables ladled with favorite dishes. However, according to the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week’s website, fifty million Americans live in food-insecure households. These families do not have the ability to consistently put adequate, healthy food on their tables. As the temperature continues to drop, heating costs will start to compete with food in household budgets. With November being National Hunger Awareness Month, the Ripon College Office of Community Engagement will be hosting an event called Empty Bowls to bring light to the needs of Ripon’s national and local communities.

On November 14, between 5-7 PM, Empty Bowls with provide a simple fare of soup and bread, served at Ripon College in the Dahm Heritage Room in the Pickard Commons. The meal is designed to highlight the lesser known side of hunger where food might be on the table, but it neither satisfies the stomach nor fortifies the body.

Ripon College students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to dine whenever within the timeframe; however, there will be a short presentation at 6:15 PM about hunger awareness.

While there is no fee to partake in meal, participants are encouraged to browse the collection of ceramic bowls created by Ripon College’s Assistant Professor of Art Mollie Oblinger’s ceramics class for this event. Participants are encouraged to select a bowl to represent those in Ripon’s community who struggle to place food on their table and to take the bowl home with them in exchange for a small donation.

Pictures of the bowls that will be at the event can be found on the Ripon College Facebook page in the album entitled, “The Empty Bowl Project.”

Emelia Erickson, a sophomore at Ripon College is coordinating events for Hunger Awareness Month. She hopes this event makes hunger a concrete concept and not just abstraction for participants.

 “Everybody knows there are hungry people, but they don’t know the people next to them could be struggling,” Erickson comments. 

All funds raised at Empty Bowls will benefit Ripon Community Food Pantry and those in the Ripon community who need assistance. Hunger is a real issue in Ripon. Amy Pollesch, director of Community Food Pantry, notes that on a monthly basis, the pantry serves between 250 and 300 families in the Ripon area for a total of nearly 600 individuals.

“I think that we like to think that Ripon is a nice town with no problems, but hunger is a problem [that Ripon faces],” notes David Scott, the Endowed Chair of Servant Leadership at Ripon College.

Last year, Empty Bowls raised around $500 dollars, but Scott has hopes for the event that extent beyond a monetary sum.

“I hope that [this event] causes people to think about hunger and homelessness more than they would have otherwise.”

The Office of Community Engagement would like to extend a warm thank you to Sodexo for donating the soup for the event.

For any questions or concerns about Empty Bowls or to learn more about what you can do for to help those hungry in Ripon’s community, contact the Office of Community Engagement on the second floor of Hardwood Memorial Union, email oce@ripon.edu or call (920)748-8153.