An initiative that’s brought local artists, restaurants and nonprofits together to fight hunger in western Kentucky for nearly two decades returns to Paducah this weekend.
The Empty Bowls Project – which originated in Michigan in 1990 –, began as a way for art students to use their creativity to support a local food drive. What started as a simple soup lunch featuring handmade ceramic bowls has grown into an international effort to raise awareness and support for people facing hunger.
The project quickly spread to other communities in the years that followed, with artists – like Michael Terra in Paducah – seeing how they could make a difference where they lived.
For Terra, the idea was about more than just making bowls. He believed the Empty Bowls Project could bring the Paducah community together around something everyone could take part in.
“I just loved how the randomness of all the bowls and how all of the energy was local energy. Then it was directed to helping local people, and everybody was just so happy to be there,” Terra said. “Everyone was there because they really wanted to be there. [There was] just a lot of joy in the room, which totally appealed to me.”
At the center of the event are the ceramic bowls, each one handmade by a local artist and available for purchase by those who attend. Once purchased, the bowls can be filled with food, turning a piece of art into something with a purpose: helping provide meals to people in the local community.
Proceeds from bowl sales and donations at the event will go to Paducah's Community Kitchen, an organization Terra describes as a selfless, community-focused group dedicated to helping those facing hunger in the area.
“They don't ask you at all why you're there or what your circumstances are. They just say how can we help, and that really appealed to me,” Terra said.
And the bowls aren't just for looking at. Attendees can fill their bowls with food up to 10 times throughout the event, giving them plenty of time to sit down, eat and connect with the people around them. The goal is to make the event about more than a meal, creating a space where people can slow down, meet their neighbors and get to know the community they call home.
“When you come on Saturday, you're going to see people in wheelchairs. You're going to see young people. You're going to see really old people. You're going to see whole families,” Terra said. “It's really that commitment to making sure that everyone feels welcomed.”
The Empty Bowls Project will kick off at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Julian Carroll Convention Center in downtown Paducah. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
