Empty Bowls Project blends art and service to support MVHS food drive

Mount Vernon High School is bringing art and community service together in a powerful way this winter through its first-ever Empty Bowls Project. Led by art teacher Katie Gentry, the initiative invites MVHS students to handcraft ceramic bowls that will be given to community members who donate non-perishable food and toiletry items to the school’s ongoing food drive. This effort brings visibility to growing concerns about hunger in the community while also showcasing the creative work students can produce.

The Empty Bowls Project began the second week of November as a complement to the Key Club’s large-scale food drive, which is currently providing confidential support to MVHS students and families in need. Inspired by the global Empty Bowls movement, a grassroots initiative where artists and volunteers create bowls for a simple fundraising meal of soup and bread, Gentry wanted the MVHS version to take on a unique local purpose.

"This project is about awareness and creativity," Gentry said. The Empty Bowls concept symbolizes hunger and highlights the reality that many bowls in the community go empty. The project encourages students to help fill those bowls, both symbolically and with tangible support.

Instead of using the bowls for a fundraising meal, MVHS will give them as a thank-you gift to community members who donate at least three non-perishable food or toiletry items. More than 5,000 items have already been collected through the Key Club’s food drive, and with more than 100 students identified as potentially benefiting, organizers hope the Empty Bowls Project will help keep momentum high.

Gentry has opened the initiative to any MVHS student who wants to participate, whether as a community service project, an art enrichment activity, or simply a chance to help others. Students meet in the art room after school every other Tuesday and Thursday, where they shape and paint their bowls before they are fired in the school’s onsite kiln. So far, approximately 20 students have taken part, sculpting, glazing, and designing one-of-a-kind bowls that will eventually land in the hands of donors.

"We want to keep awareness going year-round," Gentry explained. "Hunger doesn’t stop after the holidays, and neither should our efforts."

The project will continue through early February to allow time for glazing and firing. All glazes used on the bowls are food safe, though the bowls themselves are intended to be decorative rather than functional. The goal is to make 100 bowls, one for every donor who supports the Key Club food drive during the project period or until the bowls run out.

In addition to daily collections at the MVHS office, Gentry and participating students are planning a major visibility event in March 2026 during the school’s annual talent show, known as the Forum. Project members plan to set up a community drop-off table in the school lobby, offering attendees the chance to donate food items in exchange for a handcrafted bowl made by MVHS students.

Support for the initiative has been strong throughout the district. Administrators, community members, and the Board of Education have all rallied behind the art program’s efforts, emphasizing the importance of creativity, service, and compassion in student development. Gentry believes the project helps students recognize the impact of their work beyond the classroom. Each bowl is created with care and serves as a reminder that someone in the community may be in need. Through the project, students are learning that their creativity can make a meaningful difference.

The Empty Bowls Project also helps bring attention to items most needed by families experiencing food insecurity. Recommended donations include canned meats, peanut butter, soups, broths, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, ready-made meals, rice, cereal, granola bars, shelf-stable milk, baking items, and baby formula — as well as essential toiletries like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, feminine products, and diapers. Donors are asked to avoid glass containers.

For students or families who need assistance, Principal Cory Caughlan encourages them to reach out directly and confidentially at ccaughlan@mvcsd.us. The Key Club continues to distribute food discreetly to ensure that no one in the MVHS community goes without essential items.

As the Empty Bowls Project continues to grow, Gentry hopes it becomes a longstanding tradition. "If this year is successful, we want to continue it," she said. Art has the power to change people. It encourages, inspires, and creates connections — and that is precisely the impact being made here. Community members who wish to donate food or toiletry items may drop them off at the Mount Vernon High School Office during school hours.