Apr 17, 2017 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Empty Bowls of Greene County recently raised more than $3,000 for the Weekend Food Program Fund at the Community Foundation of Greene County.

The Empty Bowls project, which was held April 2 at the National Guard Readiness Center in Waynesburg, was organized and conducted by a group of Waynesburg University Bonner Scholar students led by Kenny Knouse, a junior from Catawissa. This was the fourth year Bonner Scholars were able to lead and coordinate the Empty Bowls event.

Knouse and a team of students worked throughout the school year to plan and implement the event and learn about the Weekend Food Program and hunger in Greene County.

The Empty Bowls project provides a meal of soup, bread and a light dessert. Each person who purchases a ticket for the meal also selects a handmade ceramic “empty” bowl to take home with them as a reminder that there are others in the community and world who have nothing to eat.

Aladdin Food Services of Waynesburg University provided four varieties of soup: broccoli cheddar, potato bacon, vegetable beef and Italian wedding. Kristy Vliet of 5 Kidz Kandy in Waynesburg provided lobster bisque. A selection of artisan breads and rolls was provided by Rising Creek Bakery and Panera Bread. Volunteers and local churches provided homemade cookies and cupcakes.

A large selection of ceramic bowls were handmade by students, staff and faculty members of Waynesburg University, under the direction of Andrew Heisey, assistant professor of art. Local artists Linda and Jim Winegar of Winegar Pottery and proprietors of Artbeat Gallery in Waynesburg also donated bowls. Additional bowls were donated by Empty Bowls Monongalia County and Empty Bowls Pittsburgh.

Students also obtained a variety of donated baskets, artwork and pottery for the Chinese and silent auctions, which raised additional money for the Weekend Food program.

All of the money raised by the Empty Bowls event will be donated to the Community Foundation of Greene County, the fiscal sponsor for the Greene County Weekend Food Program. CFGC will distribute the money among the five Greene County school districts – Carmichaels Area, Central Greene, Jefferson-Morgan, Southeastern Greene and West Greene – and Intermediate Unit 1 at East Franklin School, which operate the local food programs.

“The caliber and quality of the Empty Bowls project and all the students who participated in making it happen is so impressive,” said Bettie Stammerjohn, CFGC executive director. “Their efforts, and those of the community who supported the project, really make a difference for the Weekend Food Program in Greene County. This event raises a significant portion of the funds needed to provide packs of food for an average of 170 students each week during the school year.”

The Weekend Food Program provides a packet of child-friendly food items to help supplement weekend meals for participating students who are identified by the schools. A weekend food package costs an average of $5 per child each week, or about $195 per child for a full school year.

The Greene County Weekend Food Program exists because of the Greene County Food Security Partnership, a broad community collaboration to address food insecurity in Greene County. As the fiscal sponsor for the Weekend Food programs, CFGC is able to receive contributions, which are given to school districts as grants to provide the food for distribution.

More information about the Weekend Food Program can be found on the Greene County Food Security Partnership website, http://greenefoodpartnership.org/get-help/backpack-program/, or by calling CFGC at 724-627-2010.