Seventh-graders use empty bowls to raise awareness about hunger

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION –  Anya Groth, an Albion seventh-grader, holds a bowl of pottery she created in her art class led by Kamie Feder. The bowl was created and sold for $5 Tuesday evening as part of the seventh annual Empty Bowls project by Albion seventh-graders.

About 140 students created bowls that were sold on Tuesday evening. The project was expected to raise $700 to $800, which will be donated to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

The funding will help the agency stock its food pantry during a season when donations are down, said Annette Finch, community services director for Community Action.

Some of the bowls created by students are displayed on a table in the middle school cafeteria.

Students were also invited to write a message about local hunger. Finch bought this bowl. She liked the robin eggs

Students learned about hunger locally and in the world. Locally, one in four people struggle to have enough food to eat. World-wide, about 3 billion people go hungry.

“I would hate to be in that situation,” said Anya Groth, one of the students who worked on the project.

A student named Mason created this bowl and message.

Leeanna Montanarella, a seventh-grader, shared information about hunger with people who attended the event at the middle school. Leeanna said the community should step up awareness and fund-raising to fight hunger.

“I think it’s important that people in the community are fed,” she said.