Annual Empty Bowls dinner Thursday at Pitt-Bradford

The 12th Annual Empty Bowls and Baskets Dinner will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 16.

The event is an effort to bring awareness to the fight against hunger, as well as raise money to support the Friendship Table.

People attending will enjoy a simple meal of homemade breads and soups. They can also choose a ceramic bowl, a woven basket or a napkin set as a take-home reminder that someone else may have an empty bowl or basket.

The suggested admission is $10 for the event, which will be held in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons.

Over the past twelve years, this popular Women's History Month event has raised over $17,500 for the Friendship Table.

Dr. Holly J. Spittler, associate dean of student affairs and chair of the Empty Bowls and Baskets Committee, said, “I am always amazed at how the campus community and members of the Bradford community come together year after year to ensure that there is a place in Bradford where all can find a healthy meal and a place at the table.”

Pitt-Bradford students, faculty, staff and community members contribute to the event by weaving baskets and painting ceramic bowls.

Art students and members of the National Art Honor Society at Bradford High School handcrafted the ceramic bowls, and the American Association of University Women made cloth napkin sets. Third grade students from School Street Elementary, St. Bernard School, as well as third and fourth graders from the Learning Center and the Bradford Area Christian Academy, created colorful place mats with their original artwork that reflected the themes of helping others and making healthy food choices. Volunteers from the community and campus will donate the homemade soups and desserts.

Empty Bowls Dinners have raised millions of dollars since the beginning of their initiative to combat hunger by supporting soup kitchens, food banks, and other organizations that help fight hunger. The idea came about in 1990 when an art class in Michigan served a dinner in handmade bowls to bring awareness to world hunger. To learn more about the event go to www.emptybowls.net.

Among other groups contributing to the event are Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, Heidi Boser, Nate Bottorf, Cattaraugus County Arts Council, Division of Communication and the Arts, Community Engagement Office, Conference Services, Division of Management and Education, Metz Culinary Management, President's Office, Pitt-Bradford art instructors Anne Mormile and Samila Sosic, Student Affairs, Staff Association, Student Nursing Organization, Tops Friendly Markets, Janelle Turk, Walmart, Women's History Month Committee, The Tin Ceiling, W.R. Case and Sons, and Zippo Manufacturing Co.