According to Empty Bowls event chair Sadie Miller, Empty Bowls is a fundraiser held by the Saint Louis Park Emergency Program  to raise awareness about hunger through pottery and art.

“Artists make bowls, donate them to the event, we get soup donated from local restaurants and we invite the community to come in and share information about hunger awareness in St. Louis Park,” Miller said.

According to Miller, 65 percent of children served by the Saint Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP) are ages 6-17, a total of 991 children.

Miller said the empty bowls made for the fundraiser come from artists in the commu
nity, and are brought home once the event is over.

“People come and eat (and) take home the empty bowls as a reminder of the empty bowls in our community,” Miller said.

Freshman Anna Nicholls  said her favorite part of the event was how the community came together to spread hunger awareness.

“I liked how it made people aware that there are people in our community that do have ‘empty bowls’ and don’t have food everyday,” Nicholls said.

According to Miller, STEP serves 22 percent of children enrolled in St. Louis Park Schools.

“Food insecurity is affecting your peers and so getting involved, well you may not know who’s getting help, (but that) doesn’t really matter as long as you can make a difference,” Miller said.

Senior Santeyne Thornton volunteered at the event and said he feels Empty Bowls event is an important cause.

“I think that it is important because what they are going for is really important because hunger in the community is a really big thing, so them eliminating hunger by having this event is a really awesome thing that they do,” Thornton said.

Miller said volunteering at Empty Bowls is not the only way to help out in the Park community.

“There are different volunteer opportunities and if you can’t volunteer, than there are different ways you can give back,” Miller said. “Help run your own food drive or neighborhoods can get involved.”