For more than 15 years, students at Davis Middle School have discovered that art can do far more than decorate a wall…it can help feed a neighbor. Through the school’s annual Empty Bowls project, students learn about hunger and food insecurity, then turn that awareness into action by handcrafting ceramic bowls for a community dinner benefiting the Rockdale Emergency Relief Fund & Food Pantry.
To create this year’s Georgia-themed clay bowls, students in Katy King’s art class at Davis Middle School were joined by special guests that included Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods, as well as members of the board of education, county commissioners, and representatives from the Georgia Department of Education. See more photos of this creative collaboration below.
At the Empty Bowls Dinner Fundraiser held on April 23, guests shared a simple meal of soup and bread, were invited to donate, and took home a student-created bowl as a lasting reminder that too many bowls in our own community are still empty.
An annual grant from the Rockdale Education Foundation helps make this powerful tradition possible by providing the materials students need to create, glaze, and prepare hundreds of bowls for the event. But the impact reaches far beyond the art classroom. Students become artists, advocates, event planners, volunteers, and even teachers, guiding community leaders and local partners as they create bowls alongside them. They learn firsthand that their talents have value and that, regardless of their age, they can make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life.
Empty Bowls is what happens when education, creativity, and compassion come together. With the Foundation’s continued support, one classroom project has grown into a beloved community tradition that brings students, educators, families, businesses, and civic leaders to the same table with one shared purpose: to care for our neighbors and help ensure fewer bowls, and fewer families in Rockdale County are left empty.
Your donations help make outreach opportunities like this possible. Show your support today!
