Workshop prepares for Empty Bowls event

On March 19, the Newfield Public Library held a workshop in which participants helped make clay bowls for this summer’s Empty Bowls fundraiser, which, locally, supports the Newfield Food Pantry.

The workshop, run by Newfield Central School District art teacher Megan Conner, is part of a three-part series of monthly workshops, with February’s focusing on handmade valentines and April’s involving mosaics.

“It’s just one way to open it up to the community a little bit more so people can feel like they have a part in it,” Conner said.

Conner’s students at Newfield’s middle and high schools have made 100 bowls for the project. She said the students are glad to help fight hunger.

“I know, in my classes, the kids look forward to it,” Conner said. “It’s memorable. They’re proud to make a piece that’s part of that; in the last one, we raised $1,500 for the food pantry, and just knowing that they were part of that is memorable. I think it’s a really great thing that we can use their art to impact a good cause.”

About 13 people attended the workshop, along with Conner and two volunteers. The workshop’s participants made 28 bowls by rolling the clay, shaping it into a bowl and adding texture and other details. Conner hopes to bring back the participants at a later date so they can glaze their own bowls, but if that is not possible, she will have high school students do that step.

The Empty Bowls event is a fundraiser that has been held for decades, with proceeds going to organizations that fight hunger, such as the local food pantry. In the event, participants purchase handmade bowls, eat soup out of those bowls and take the bowls home after the meal ends.

“Symbolically, they’re supposed to go home with this empty bowl to represent all the people that don’t have enough food,” Conner said.

Conner said that part of the draw of the Empty Bowls event is choosing a bowl, and those who are first in line get the first pick.

“People usually line up early to do it,” Conner said. “And we’ve had some really great restaurants donate soup in the past, so there’s also the draw of that as well. But really, I think [it’s] the bowls that people are interested in.”

According to Conner, the fact that students made many of the bowls helps draw parents to the event.

“It wouldn’t have the same draw without the students making it,” Conner said. “Families like to come and try to find the bowl their child made. Sometimes, they’re able to get it. Sometimes, the guy in front of them got it first.”

This year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser will be held in Newfield’s Mill Park on June 22. There is a suggested minimum donation of $12 for an ice cream bowl and a sundae, with proceeds going to the Newfield Kitchen Cupboard.

The pandemic forced last year’s Empty Bowls event to be canceled and will continue to affect this year’s event. The event will take place outside to make social distancing easier, and because of that, the event will serve ice cream rather than soup.

“The pandemic forced us to think differently about how to keep the spirit of the event alive,” Conner said.

Conner said that as things stand now, an indoor event might have been feasible, but the people who organized Empty Bowls could not have predicted this when they made their plans. Despite this, she said everyone she talked to is excited about this twist on the usual event and believes it will be fun.

“I think sometimes having it off school premises maybe makes it feel more accessible for people that don’t have kids in the district,” Conner said. “They might not feel as inclined to come into the building if they’re not already familiar with the building.”

In the end, Conner is happy to be able to put on the event.

“I’m thrilled that we’re able to do it at all this year because it’s a project that’s near and dear to my heart,” Conner said.

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Newfield Board of Education to meet

The Newfield Central School District Board of Education will hold its first meeting of the month April 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Weaver Conference Room. Face masks are optional.

The meeting can also be viewed on the district website. For more information or links to view the meeting, go to newfieldschools.org.

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The Newfield Public Library will hold its weekly family storytime event from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. April 5. Children are welcome at this weekly event, which will explore a different theme each week. The event will be held via Zoom when the library is closed.

Newfield Public Library holds spring book sale

The Newfield Public Library will hold its spring book sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9. For more information, visit newfieldpubliclibrary.org or contact the library at newfieldlibrary@gmail.com or (607) 564-3594.