Eyes On a Upcoming Empty Bowls Soup Event on October 11th

With the last of the glazed bowls being fired, the Empty Bowls Planning Committee is focused on OCTOBER 11th! Everyone in the Bennington area is invited to come to this dinner fundraiser from 5 - 8 pm held at the Mount Anthony High School. For $10 you receive a soup and meal and get to take a bowl lovingly decorated by over a hundred volunteers.

Last Wave of Glazing Surfed by Student International Club

On September 15th, a second glazing party gathered in Congregation Beth El's gathering hall. Mount Anthony High School's Student International Club was there making an impact upon the needs of the Bennington Community! This awesome effort finished off the glazing of the last 100 or so bowls. Again another healthy turnout of volunteers and artists. Pictures here are courtesy of and thanks go to the Teacher sponsor, Anja Pfeffer, for her involvement of the High School's students in this effort. The special nature of the International Club is learning and reaching beyond the bounds of everyday life to raise awareness of cultural diversity of and build relationships with others globally. This effort will raise funds as a whole community for those who in this tough economic time need assistance from the Food and Fuel Fund program of the Bennington Interfaith Community Services organization. For young people to see the significance of how important it is to make a contribution to this critical need in Bennington is totally cool. Glazing the bowls was just as fun as surfing so many thanks go to all who participated in achieving our goal of 500 bowls.

More Glazing Scheduled on September 15

Even with such a large attendance on August 26th, 100 bowls remain needing glaze. YOU are invited to Congregation Beth El to finish these last bowls up to be prepared for firing. If you would like to return to the fun of glazing please come on Tuesday, September 15th from 3 pm - 5 pm. You'll have a chance to meet the members of the International Club of Mount Anthony High School. After these last bowls are completed we can look forward to October 11th. That is the BIG DAY!

76 People from all over Bennington came on August 26

The Glazing Party was abuzz with creativity on August 26th! Four hundred plus bowls were glazed in the intimate quarters of the ceramic studio of Grace Christian School. The pictures show even Kasha the dog got into the gathering. As the Chairs of this event can attest we hardly expected 76 people from all over Bennington to gather - people of all ages. Ice cream sundaes were served under a canopy just outside the back door. Sanders were sanding, glazers were glazing and so many people and organizations helped. Stewarts Ice Cream Shoppes donated all the sundae makings. After the clean-up the three chairs sighed a huff of relief and gratitude for all the help, especially from Patty Herzfeld the Art Instructor for the School. A special thanks from Lisa Flynn, Patty Foley-Hess and Michelle Peattie, the chairs of this event, goes out to the whole Committee for Empty Bowls events, to all the volunteers (those in yellow T-shirts and a group of community outreach leaders from Bennington College), and to everyone who participated.

Art Studio deep in corridors of Grace Christian School

Here are some more pictures of those working in the ceramics studio. For about seven or eight weeks, a bowl making party has gathered every Wednesday evening at Grace Christian School. The ceramics studio is found by travelling through these windy halls and corridors, for the fearless adventurer. Deep into the school you finally come to this cradle of creativity where slamming of clay balls and excited chatter and bowed backs labor over their craft. All are bravely tapping deep into their own creative souls, some seriously focused, some gleefully carving unique decorations, some proudly displaying the variety of designs as hundreds of bowls are stacking up in the ceramics vault (a closet really). This activity can be likened to creative writing in the often messiness of brainstorming and then shaping one's thoughts into something coherent. Don't you wonder about the quiet artist who is connecting mind and heart with hands?

All drama aside, the mystery of the ceramics studio is being revealed in the radical abundance of all those gathered to share their gifts of creativity in the acts of compassion, sharing, laughter, groans, perserverance, admiration and conversation.... being present to one another in order to bring forth diverse creations for a greater purpose. No bowl is identical. As each artist transforms the clay, those gathered are transformed by each other.

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Empty Bowls Made at 45th Bennington Battleday Parade

On Sunday, August 16th, Bennington pulled out all stops to commemorate the 45th Bennington Battleday Parade. This state holiday celebrates a battle fought in 1777 during the Revolutionary War to ensure that the provisions for Bennington and the colonial army would be safe. As the 14 bands and musical groups and 16 floats passed by with all splendor and pride, people of all ages came to the tarp for Empty Bowls. Consider the connection of community coming together to preserve the safety of supplies both in the history of this area and today for all those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families despite the economic crisis that impacts us all. Here are some pictures of those who came to make a bowl - to make a difference.

What does making an Empty Bowl mean to you?

In 2008, 10% of Vermont households were unable to access enough food to fully meet their basic needs at all time. The statistics are even more dire for children: one in six children in Vermont experiences hunger. In Bennington County alone, over 1400 children under the age of 18 experience hunger. More than a third of all Vermonters cannot afford either enough food or nutritious food. And the current economic crisis in our nation has made circumstances even more difficult for local families. Visits to local food pantries and requests for help from the Food and Fuel Fund have increased drastically over the past year.