Southeastern to Raise Awareness about Hunger

High school students will be learning about world hunger next week, when senior Sarah Gobbi, a Culinary Arts major from Brockton, launches her Empty Bowls project at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School. The event will take place for five days, and it is aimed at raising money and awareness to fight world hunger.

The project involves making handcrafted bowls, filling them with food, and selling them, starting at $5 each. The bowls will be served at lunch, in both the cafeteria and Colonial Room, from March 28 to April 1. The customers get to keep the bowls, which will help remind them of all the empty bowls throughout the world.

“I wanted to do a project that would have an impact on people. I also thought it was a good project for a Culinary student,” Sarah said.

The project is not only educational, but it involves many of Sarah’s classmates. Cabinetmaking students have made some wooden bowls, and Machine Technology students have etched school logos on glass bowls. Performing Arts/Video students will do a photo shoot, and Design and Visual Communications students will be making posters to advertise the event, which will be displayed throughout the school. Culinary Arts students will be preparing the food.

Sarah will also do a presentation about hunger in the cafeteria during that week, and she said her research has taught her about how serious and widespread the problem is. She also said it’s been a perfect project for a vocational school because many other students have been helping.

“I think this is going to help people, and it is also important because a lot of people don’t realize how serious this problem is,” she said.

Empty Bowls Project is an international grassroots effort that raises both money and awareness to fight world hunger. It was started in 1990 and is managed by the nonprofit organization Imagine/RENDER group.