The Empty Bowl fundraiser is an annual event that ETHS has been hosting for twenty-six years. This event is hosted by the community service club yearly to raise money for local soup kitchens and food pantries. Donations are also provided to foundations like Hospitality House, which gives support to North Shore residents and families who struggle with homelessness. This unique event combines many different aspects of the high school: Culinary classes put together many varieties of soup for student volunteers to serve, while the ceramics classes create soup bowls to sell. Art pieces and other ceramic bowls are also auctioned off.
This year, Empty Bowl is being held on December 5th. Students who decide to visit the West Cafeteria during their lunch block are able to purchase a handmade ceramic bowl, as well as a soup of their choice.
Another aspect of Empty Bowl that makes it so special is the way it brings the Evanston community together. Multiple local businesses contribute to the event’s cause, such as Great Harvest Bread Co., Evanston Art Center, and Bagel Art. These businesses provide breads, soups, ceramics, and art pieces. It also brings the high school together through the various departments in ETHS that are involved.
“It’s a big collaboration between a bunch of different offices within ETHS,” explained Erin Claeys, the community service coordinator. “It’s also an opportunity for students to see an event from start to finish on a bigger scale than we usually do for community service club.”
There are also many opportunities for students to step into a bigger role and organize the event.
“If you want to plan for an event, just go for it, and there will most definitely be a job that you’re interested in,” states Junior Harper Dibartolo Mundy, a member of the silent auction and donations committee. “You can do decorations, you can do communications, you can do publicity, you can do all these different things. And when it comes to volunteering, if there’s something you might like, just try it and it’ll tell you more about yourself.”
And all this volunteering pays off. Just last year, ETHS student donations raised more than six thousand dollars. The proceeds were then forwarded to Connections for the Homeless. Empty Bowl is a fantastic opportunity to give back to and uplift the Evanston community.
