Seventh Empty Bowl Dinner a success

On Wednesday, November 19, community members gathered in the Springfield High School cafeteria for the seventh annual Empty Bowl Dinner.
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Seventh Empty Bowl Dinner a Success Submitted by VT Journal on Mon, 11/24/2014 - 4:21pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -On Wednesday, November 19, community members gathered in the Springfield High School cafeteria for the seventh annual Empty Bowl Dinner. The event began at 5 p.m. and concluded at 7 p.m. with musical entertainment provided by the Springfield High School band, chorus and madrigal singers after the dinner. Those in attendance could either pay $7 for a dinner without a bowl, or $20 for a meal with their choice of an empty bowl that was made by a high school student. The meal, which consisted of bread, soups, pasta salads and other assorted food, was prepared by the River Valley Technical Center’s Culinary Arts program. Artwork on poverty was displayed throughout the cafeteria, and a pottery sale was also held during the event. All proceeds from the Empty Bowl Dinner benefitted the Springfield Family Center Food Shelf. According to art teacher Lisa Murray who organized the event, around 200 people attended the Empty Bowl Dinner this year. “There is better attendance every year, and the turnout [this year] was fantastic,” she said. “Clearly the community supports this event.” Murray also said that there were at least 200 bowls made for the event, and that her favorite part of the dinner is to see all the community members in attendance. “My favorite part is watching people of all generations enjoying one event together,” she said. “And watching my students show their family and friends their collages, paintings, and drawings.” Although the Empty Bowl Dinner was a success and a happy occasion for Murray, this will be her last year as the organizer of the event, and there will be aspects of the event she will miss. “I will miss the feeling of making a difference in people's lives- which I think events like this do,” she said. “Having students working together for a meaningful fundraising experience is magical. Watching 9th graders see how important their work and efforts are here at the high school is amazing.” Bowls that were not purchased at the Empty Bowl Dinner will be sold at the high school until the Christmas holiday. Murray said that those interested in purchasing a bowl can contact her at lmurray@ssdvt.org. Community members that attended the event had many great things to say about the Empty Bowl Dinner. “I came to the dinner because I think it’s a positive community event,” Springfield resident Nick Matush said. “This is my third or fourth time attending.” Matush said that his favorite parts of coming to the Empty Bowl Dinner were the music, food and the bowls. “I really like seeing all the beautiful artwork and the bowls,” he said. Matush is not alone in his appreciation for the bowls that are made for the event. “I have some bowls at home, and I love them,” Diana Inglese said. “This is my fourth time coming to the Empty Bowl Dinner.” Inglese said her favorite part of attending the Empty Bowl Dinner is choosing a bowl and visiting with friends. “It’s fun to go around and look at all the bowls that have been made,” she said. Though Inglese enjoys the pottery and artwork featured at the event, she said that she appreciates all the food that is prepared by the students in the Culinary Arts program at the Tech Center. “I love food, and I think it’s nice to have a place for students to try their hand at cooking classes,” she said. “Being a chef is a good way to make a living, and the students do a great job here. The soup, bread and everything else was the best this year that I’ve had since I started coming [to the event]” Retired Riveriside Middle School teacher Pat Magrosky agreed with Inglese about the importance of the meal served at the Empty Bowl Dinner being prepared by students at the Tech Center. “Some local organizations donate food for the Empty Bowl Dinner, so this is really a farm-to-table event,” she said. “There is a lot of community involvement, and it’s great that the young chefs at the Tech Center prepare the food.” Magrosky is no stranger to the Empty Bowl Dinner, and has attended the dinner since its inception seven years ago. “I’ve come every year to this event,” she said. “I really enjoy the event and have bowls from every past Empty Bowl Dinner.” Though Magrosky enjoys the artwork and food, she said that her favorite part of the Empty Bowl Dinner is the fact that the event brings the community together for a good cause. “This is such an important event because people’s awareness of hunger is limited,” she said. “We are able to fill our empty bowls, but not everyone can. Seeing the whole range of people from the community that gathers together to help those community members that are not as fortunate is really great. The artwork that’s on display during the event helps people to learn about hunger globally and in our community, and that helps to put a face on hunger.” - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/seventh-empty-bowl-dinner-success#sthash.miOy6Mb7.dpuf