The Best Empty Bowls Yet! December 10 2019, 0 Comments
Thanks to the amazing efforts of everyone involved, our 6th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser was the best yet! We raised over $5000 for Hands Across Mathews - all this money will be used to buy food (from the food bank, at 19 cents a pound - you do the math!!!) to feed our neighbors in need right here in Mathews.
To make this happen, potters from the Clay by the Bay Ceramics Guild, and their friends who share their generous spirits, crafted, glazed, and fired 315 bowls, and much of it was done right here at the Bay School! Doris Hackworth, pottery teacher, studio manager, leader of the Guild, and gatherer of bowls, kept everyone on track all year and packed away bowls like a squirrel hoards nuts. Maurine Frank, Hands' biggest cheerleader, recruited volunteers, soup, bread, cookies, and artwork to raffle, all with a warm smile and kind word for everyone she talked to.
Many hands contributed to the event's success. More than 30 potters, 30 cooks, 30 volunteers, and 250 guests all did their part.This event not only raises a considerable amount of money for Hands Across Mathews, it raises awareness of the needs of our neighbors, and builds community in a truly heartwarming way.
Empty Bowls is a worldwide initiative to use art to feed the hungry. Pam Doss, the Bay School's executive director, started the tradition in Mathews when she began work here in 2014, and has been thrilled to see the event grow each year. Our event is purposely scheduled at the beginning of winter to provide funds when they are needed most, when the weather is cold and gardens are bare. It has become a treasured holiday tradition, with many bowls given as gifts and added to collections started the first year.
The Bay School, a non-profit community art school and gallery, is located at 279 Main Street, Mathews, and is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Dominion Energy, Mathews County, Chesapeake Bank, and twelve community Gallery Sponsors. The Clay by the Bay Ceramics Guild is a loose association of potters who get together to exchange ideas and sell their work at the Bay School. The Mission of Hand Across Mathews is to help local families who have suffered some crisis that puts them in need of the basic amenities of food, clothing, shelter, prescription medications or fuel. When all other avenues of support have been exhausted, they help them get back on their feet. They have combined the efforts of 35 churches to provide non-denominational charitable aid to families, which have been evaluated and approved by the Mathews County Social Services Department. More than 100 families are currently being served each week. For more information about Hands Across Mathews, please visit their website at http://handsacrossmathews.org/ .
