Apex High hosts Empty Bowl Project to give back to the community

Kenison Garratt
Editor-in-Chief and A&E Editor

      In Wake County, two out of every ten people do not know where they will find their next meal. If this fact seems familiar, it is likely because it is a statistic that has been the focal point of every Empty Bowl Project poster that has found its place somewhere on a wall of Apex High school or on a corner of a bulletin board somewhere in the town. “Fill a bowl, fill a need,” reads the poster, and if one decides to be a part of the project, they will be doing just that.

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      The cost to participate in the event is only five non-perishable food items. Students can bring them to room 509 to receive a ticket or directly to the event Friday May 6 at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria. “We want to raise as much food and awareness for our community as possible,” says Apex High art teacher Kim Sudkamp, who is in charge of the event. Those who attend will definitely be giving back to the community. Aside from a dinner, which everyone who purchases a ticket will receive, there will also be a silent auction where buyers can bid with cans and other non-perishable items on bowls, student art, and art donated from professionals from the area.
      “The Empty Bowl Project is a project to help raise food and awareness about the hungry in our area,” explains Sudkamp. “Student artists create bowls to trade [or] sell for non-perishable [goods].” This will be the first year that Apex High participates in the Empty Bowl Project, and Sudkamp and her students, who have been contributing their own art to the cause, could not be more excited. “Once at the event, each person will be able to pick out one handmade bowl, get food from our delicious spread, as well as [be provided with] access to the silent auction which includes student pieces and custom bids.”
      This event supports a truly incredible cause, and Sudkamp encourages all students to come out and participate. Anyone can come, and everyone is invited. “All proceeds will go to Western Wake Crisis Ministry. Students should come because not only is it fun, but they will be supporting a wonderful cause. [They will be doing] good in our community all while having a wonderful time.”
      This issue would have a strong impact on anyone, but it is surely a cause close to Sudkamp’s heart, who remembers being a part of this event when she was in elementary school. It was her elementary school art teacher, Jim Hunt, who introduced her to the project in her last years of grade school when she herself created bowls for the Empty Bowl Project. “It felt wonderful to give back to the community. Jim Hunt is the reason I am an art teacher today.  He showed me that we all could make a difference with art.”
      Sudkamp, her students, and others who participate in the fine arts are extremely excited for the event. While they get to display their art skills and have fun at the event, they can take a lot of pleasure in the thought that they will be helping others in need and hopefully starting a new tradition here at Apex High. “I hope that the Empty Bowl Project will continue on, year to year,” says Sudkamp. “This is a wonderful project that shows art can help those around us in the community.  I hope that with each year this project will grow, bringing in more food and awareness as well as showing the students the difference they can make.”