Kent School to Host Fourth Annual Empty Bowls Event

On Friday, November 8, at 6:00 p.m. Kent School is hosting an Empty Bowls event to benefit the Kent County Food Pantry. Empty Bowls is an international project to fight hunger, personalized by artists and art organizations on a community level. The event is open to the public. While admission is free, guests may enjoy a variety of homemade soups and breads with the purchase of a student-made ceramic bowl or mug. Each bowl or mug is $10.

Guests canalso enjoy a bowl of soup for a $5.00 donation. The soup dinner will be held in the M.V. “Mike” Williams Gymnasium. All proceeds from the sale of the bowls will go the Kent County Food Pantry. This event is a collaboration between the Kent School’s Art Department and the Student Government Association.

Since the start of this academic year, art classes have been devoted to ceramics. As a result, every student at Kent School from Preschool through Grade Eight, has made at least one ceramic bowl. Kent School’s art teacher, Pat Parkhurst said, “This is the fourth year completing the Empty Bowls project with our students. It is a great example of our School’s mission in practice. The students’ work is not only artistically excellent, they are all practicing moral excellence by offering their pieces to support the Kent County Food Pantry.” Parkhurst continued, “It is gratifying on so many levels. When the students see their work evolve from a mound of gray clay to a fully glazed and fired piece featuring their own personal design elements, the sense of accomplishment is very fulfilling.”

Susan Basener, Board Chair of the Community Food Pantry said, "All who serve at The Community Food Pantry are grateful for the community support we receive. Kent School is a
loyal supporter with the annual Empty Bowls event, donating $2320 in 2018. In addition, Kent
School students donate food for the Backpack Program which provides weekend meals to Kent
County students who live with food insecurity. Kent School families also donate coats, hats, and gloves for Food Pantry families who need warm weather clothing. These hands on experiences for the students deepens their understanding of poverty and provides them with ways of helping to meet some of the needs of the poor in their own community.”

Kent School students have a long-term, ongoing relationship with the Kent County Food Pantry.
Each year the Student Government Association (SGA) at Kent School leads charitable activities
in support of the Kent County Food Pantry. The students coordinate food drives throughout the
year. Parkhurst continued, “The partnership between SGA and the Art Department is a natural fit. This is a wonderful opportunity to incorporate a concentrated art unit with a student-led community service program. It has been an ambitious project for them, but a very satisfying and meaningful learning experience for all of us.”

To make a reservation for Kent School’s Empty Bowls event email rsvp@kentschool.org. For
more information, visit www.kentschool.org or call 410-778-4100 ext. 110. Kent School, located in historic Chestertown, MD is an independent day school serving girls and boys from Preschool through Grade 8. The School’s mission is to guide its students in realizing their potential for academic, artistic, athletic, and moral excellence. The School’s family-oriented, supportive, student-centered environment fosters the growth of honorable, responsible citizens for our country and our diverse world.