“Empty Bowls” raise awareness about hunger and $1,500 to buy food for locals

The Greater Boston Food Bank estimates that 1 in 11 are at risk of hunger in Massachusetts. Our Sisters’ School’s Students in Action Team is working with United Way of Greater New Bedford’s Hunger Commission to raise awareness about hunger in Greater New Bedford and beyond.

On Friday, February 15, the Students in Action Team hosted Empty Bowls, a dinner to raise money for hunger relief efforts locally. The bowls, sold at $10 each, served as a representation of those who remain hungry. They were provided by The Ceramic Canvas and painted by OSS students, UMass Dartmouth students, Boys and Girls Club and Dennison Community Center children on the OSS MLK Service Day in January.

They were then fired by the UMass Dartmouth Ceramics Department. Soup made by OSS families and volunteers and Destination Soups was served along with donated bread and desserts. Over 100 people attended Empty Bowls and the students raised nearly $1,500 to purchase food items most needed locally. Food will be delivered by United Way’s Hunger Commission in the upcoming weeks.

“The OSS Empty Bowls project, and projects like it, provide a way for everyone in our community – including the younger students among us – to make a difference, “ said Margaret McSweeny, Volunteer Coordinator at Our Sisters’ School. “We do our best to provide regular opportunities for our students to develop their roles as active members of their community. We encourage them to be responsible citizens and role models for others by working on issues that they care about and that help to make the world a better place to live.”

The Empty Bowls dinner is part of a larger 2-year project on hunger for the Students in Action Team at Our Sisters’ School. This event, and others connected to the project that will follow, help to strengthen the community by supporting local organizations and educating people about issues that matter. Over the next few months, students will be volunteering at local food pantries, learning more about hunger, and hosting educational sessions for the public with the guidance of United Way.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Students in Action’s 2-year project on hunger,” said Victoria Grasela, Director of Marketing & Community Relations at United Way. “They accomplished a lot in just a few weeks and have big plans for the future. We’ll be working closely with them to guide discussions on hunger and engaging them in some of the work we’re already doing. It’s always inspiring to see youth take an interest in such a large community issue and proactively come up with ways they can help.”