Empty Bowls, Full Hearts

the village potters, empty bowls, asheville, nc, manna foodbank
back, L-R: Karen Dubois, Lori Theriault, Lisa Leokum, Leigh Lewis, Dearing Davis (Village Potters Team Empty Bowls), front, L-R: John Hartom of Imagine/RENDER, and volunteer potter Joe Passalaqua.

Yesterday, with sponsorship from Imagine/RENDER, we hosted our second annual Empty Bowls event, where we invited potters with a basic ability to throw to help us make bowls, and people of all ages and abilities to help us decorate pre-fired bowls.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
Bisque-fired bowls: almost 100 empty canvases waiting to be decorated.

All the bowls made and decorated will be finished in time to be a part of this year’s Asheville Empty Bowls luncheon and dinner, on Monday, September 16. Tickets are available online at MANNA FoodBank’s website, and you are encouraged to get your tickets now, as they will sell out! More information at the end of this post.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
we had a great turnout, with people patiently waiting for space at the table to decorate bowls…
the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
VP daughter extraordinaire Emily Dubois with her stunning bowl…

Empty Bowls is a grass-roots program that raises funds for and awareness of hunger-related issues. It benefits people of all ages, and it’s something that anyone and everyone can do, either by participating in the making of bowls, providing the food or venue for the event, or by buying a ticket to attend the event.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
in addition to adding bowls for the event, people brought donations for MANNA FoodBank..

Throughout the event, we were thanked for holding such a great community event, but really it’s us who want to extend great thanks – to the community – for coming together for the sake of others. We were blessed to open our Teaching Center to welcome not only our local community, but also several out of town visitors who chose to spend part of their weekend with us to benefit Empty Bowls.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
our sponsor, Imagine/RENDER, provided clay and underglazes for the event…

Special thanks to Imagine/RENDER, for sponsoring our event and providing clay and underglazes for the making and decorating of the bowls.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
VP student & soon-to-be student Lisa Leokum & Leigh Lewis helped keep things running smoothly!
the village potters
daugher/mom team Emily & (VP) Karen Dubois…
the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
VP Studio Asst Dearing Davis with one of her beautifully decorated bowls…

And extra special thanks to the Village Potters Empty Bowls crew: Lori Theriault, Karen Dubois, Dearing Davis, Emily Dubois, Lisa Leokum, and Leigh Lewis for almost non-stop, dedicated, and joyful management of the event throughout the day.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
Colorado potter Jim R. was in town visiting and heard about the event…

And our deepest gratitude to those who came to join us and lend a hand, whether it ended up covered in clay or spattered with paint. We thank you (names spelled as accurately as I could read from the page!): Mark Ward, David Langdon, Nelle Pingree, Amy Meier, Annie Clingenpeel,Melanie Robertson, Jim Reinicken, Joe Passalaqua, Kim Hostetter, Tim Winter,

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
these lovely ladies were in Asheville on a ‘girls weekend’, and came to decorate bowls while they were here…

Wendy Seligman, John Schuerman, Nancy Lipscomb, Debbie Berletic, Aylett Burchfiel, Alice Griffin, Dick Griffin, Michael J., Tatiana K, Elaine Christ, Mia Christ, Jonah Christ, David Jostetter, Susan Wrzalinski, Brandy Minnix, Levi Meier, Max Meier, Candy Boehm, Anna Murray, Gray Murray, Holly Murray, Shalon Murray, Mary Everist, Grant Everist,

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
voluneer potters David and Amy (from MANNA FoodBank!) added several bowls to our count!

Roger Ganthier, Tyler Lytle, Jonah Kelly, Jennifer Kelly, Barbara Cliff,  Elaine Royer, Glory Stack, Paulette Cliff, Denise McDorman, Sophia Mayberry, John Gravitt, Pamela Bernard, Linda Horton, Eliette Crenshaw, Joanne Wallis, Erin Leonard,

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
little Sophia was happy to hear how her sweetly decorated bowls will help others in her community…

Sabrina Leonard, Linda Maynard, Dave Maynard, Andrea Kulish, Christina Ladish, Lorraine Resnick, Candace Kennedy, Pamela Rinehart, Thibbi Reinicker, Reeta Dean, Kim Rush, Isabel Rush, Bethany Rolland, Jenny Rolland, Kathleen Brewer, Beth Davis, and Holly WIlliamson.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank
a handful of the almost 100 bowls that were decorated…

More about the Asheville Empty Bowls event:

One in six people in our region, and one in four children, are food insecure. So it could be they came because they themselves have benefited from the good works of MANNA FoodBank. Or perhaps they have a friend or family member who has or is enduring food insecurity. But odds are that we all know someone, even if we don’t “know” that they have food insecurity. It’s a sad commentary that people are embarrassed to ask for this help, and even sadder that the problem exists to such proportions. Every dollar of the $30 ticket for either the luncheon or dinner for the Asheville Empty Bowls events goes to MANNA FoodBank, which they are able to translate into 90 meals. A successful event will mean that MANNA may provide up to 27,000 meals, and more.

the village potters, asheville, nc, empty bowls, manna foodbank

When: Monday, September 16, 2013

Luncheon:  11:30am – 1:30pm, at the Doubletree Biltmore Hotel
Dinner: 5:30 – 7:30pm, at the Biltmore Park Hilton

Tickets available at MANNA FoodBank website only.