FERRUM, Virginia, February 28, 2025 — The 15th annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser at Ferrum College will be held on March 16 in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
This event represents a strong community collaboration and pulls in a wide variety of volunteers and groups to fund the Panther Packs program at Ferrum Elementary School throughout the following year. This year’s event is sponsored by Ferrum College, Metz Culinary Management, the Ferrum College Ceramics classes, The Ferrum College Art Department, and The Blue Ridge Potters Guild.
Fourteen different community groups came to the Ferrum College Clay Studio to participate in bowl-making workshops, donating their time and talents to help make more than 500 unique bowls offered at the event. In addition, professional potters from the Hollins University Ceramics program and the Blue Ridge Potters Guild joined Ferrum College Ceramics instructor Nell Fredericksen in the studio to make over 200 wheel-thrown bowls for the event. You can see highlights of these workshops, preview silent auction items, and keep up with event news by following the Ferrum College Empty Bowls Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ferrumcollegeemptybowls/
“The Empty Bowls Fundraiser is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when a community comes together in service to others,” said Ferrum College President Mirta Martin. “At Ferrum College, we are committed to fostering a spirit of collaboration and compassion, and this event exemplifies that mission. Through the generosity of our sponsors, the leadership of our faculty, volunteers, and participants, we are able to support the Panther Packs program and ensure that children in our community have the resources they need. We are grateful to everyone who makes this event possible.”
One highlight of the event is the silent auction featuring artwork from numerous talented local and regional artists. These volunteers join together to achieve the goal of making more than 500 unique bowls and provide varied auction items, create advertising and promotions, and work in many ways to ensure the success of the event. The goal of the event is to raise a minimum of $8000, all of which goes to fund the Panther Pack Program at Ferrum Elementary School. Panther Packs provides six meals plus snacks each weekend – more than 13,000 meals during the school year – for children at Ferrum Elementary School who come from food-insecure homes.
Empty Bowls is an international project focused on the concept of handmade art and artists working to fight hunger in their own communities. The promotion and growth of the global project is managed by The Imagine/RENDER Group. Each event is independently organized and supports the fight against hunger within the communities that host these events. Ferrum College Empty Bowls is proud to be one such event.
