Board members for two local non-profits held a joint meeting last week, not to discuss high-level strategies or finances but to get their hands dirty – literally.

The volunteer leaders of Rowan Helping Ministries and North Hills Christian School joined hands to make pottery bowls for an upcoming event designed to heighten awareness of hunger in our community.

“We thought this would be a great opportunity for the board members to get acquainted with each other and have some casual conversation while making pottery bowls for our Empty Bowls event,” said Maria Lowder, chairperson of the Rowan Helping Ministries Board of Directors and executive director of North Hills Christian School.

While most participants approached their wet mound of clay with caution, within minutes they had rolled up their sleeves to punch, knead and work out the bubbles and roll the gray matter into balls.  Working without a potter’s wheel, they used their thumbs to create a well and then pinched the sides of their clay into walls for their bowls.

Some bowls were thick, some were scalloped, another resembled a platter, but all the nonprofit leaders tacked the project with purpose and intent.  These bowls, once completed, will symbolize a serious issue in our community – the empty bowls of those who are hungry.

“Nearly 19 percent of the people in Rowan County live in poverty and often have to make choices between paying their rent or buying groceries,” said Kyna Grubb, executive director of Rowan Helping Ministries.  “Empty Bowls is an event created at the national level but adapted by local communities to educate their citizens about the seriousness of hunger and how they can help those in need.”

The local Empty Bowls event will be held Thursday, March 10, at North Hills Christian School as a fundraiser for Rowan Helping Ministries’ Food Programs. Participants can enjoy a delicious soup and bread supper donated by local chefs and restaurants.  Pottery bowls made by the board members, students at North Hills Christian School and Carson High School, and artists at Pottery 101 will be given out at the event as a reminder that, together, we can solve hunger needs in our community.

Local restaurants and chefs who are donating food for the event include Sweet Meadow, Livingstone College Culinary Program, Olive Garden, Jeannie’s Kitchen at Rowan Helping Ministries, Longhorn Steakhouse, Cracker Barrel, Sidewalk Deli, Outback, O’Charley’s, and Marlowe’s.

The event will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the North Hills Christian School gymnasium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.  They can be purchased online on EventBrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/empty-bowls-supporting-rowan-helping-ministries-tickets-21236112785  and at North Hills Christian School, 2970 W. Innes St., Salisbury, and at Rowan Helping Ministries at 226 N. Long St., Salisbury.