Artwork by Tamarac students will help ensure that families in need have enough food and money for fuel this winter.
Students in Helen Findlay's art class created more than 100 clay bowls this year to donate to an Empty Bowls event in Bennington, Vt. on Nov. 13. Students helped out a similar event in Troy last year but when that event was postponed, Ms. Findlay found a similar event in Bennington.
At an Empty Bowls dinner, participants pay $10 as an entry fee. They choose a handmade bowl – like those created by Tamarac students – and enjoy a simply community meal of soup and bread. Participants get to take their bowls home with them.
The Empty Bowls event in Bennington is organized by the Greater Bennington Interfaith Community Services, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that runs the Food and Fuel Fund and the Bennington Free Clinic. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Food and Fuel Fund for the coming year.
The Food and Fuel Fund has been in existence since 1974. Started by local clergy, the fund raises money each year which is then distributed to families in need of food, rent, and other support including utilities, and emergency housing. Last year, the Empty Bowls event raised $8,000 for the fund.
In 2008, 10 percent of Vermont households were unable to access enough food to fully meet their basic needs at all times. The statistics are even more dire for children: one in six children in Vermont experiences hunger. With the current economy, requests for assistance from the Food and Fuel Fund have increased drastically over the past year.
To learn more about the event, download a flyer by clicking here…
