Empty Bowls

The local middle school has a special 7th grade project they do every year to teach about and raise awareness of poverty and hunger. We attended the dinner this evening (a fundraiser for the local food shelf basically) where we ate soup, got a couple clay bowls (hence the title "empty bowls") and learned a little about hunger. The event involved all of the arts classes since the start of the year; the seventh graders made the clay bowls, they wrote, performed and recorded songs about hunger (which were played over the speaker for "background" music throughout the evening), and they cooked the food (ahead of time, obviously, not all today). The soups were wonderful (I love soup) and ranged incredibly in variety, from apple onion soup, to chili, to corn and sweet potato chowder, to black eye pea and andouille sausage (or some such thing - this is the one I had a whole bowl of - delicious), to squapple (squash and apple), and many more. The bread was good, the cookies fine, and chatting with my neighbors who I hadn't seen since summer very nice.

I loved the evening and the "message" and the purpose in action. I remember almost a lifetime ago being in charge of "missions week" at the school where I was working (elementary). One day during that week, we had rice for lunch. Just rice. That's what most of the world eats every day. Rice. I remember the parents' skepticism (granted I was a naive just married young lady w/o kids of her own), but I'd do it all over again. Much as we need nutrition (and yes, it was white rice), and our kids need fiber and greens, and plenty of it to give them lots of strength etc.... my point was much like "Empty Bowls" night; we are RICH and we lack for nothing, comparatively speaking. We can eat just rice - as much as we want mind you - for one meal. Really, we can, and it's more than many children get every day. Something to think about.

Visual helps like these events give us - and our children - an idea of what other people eat, what hunger is or may be like, how poverty "hurts" and isn't just an idea but a reality, and that we are blessed beyond our understanding. I think this is a good thing, and I am glad we went. I think my kids (who generally don't particularly care for soup) will be hungry tomorrow. And their needs will be met. They were given the option of cheerios and milk upon our return home if they were hungry enough to get it for themselves. I don't think any of them did. They all tried new things, and several of them hardly ate. You know, you'll eat anything if you're hungry enough. I know, and it's a lesson I hope none of them learn "The hard way." So thank you to the 7th grade for our lesson that makes us think. Thank you to the teachers who made it "fun" and practical and taught them good skills (making soup, bread, cookies, bowls and music! - real life!). And thank you to my kids for allowing me to "impose" this upon them. May God give us a heart of compassion for others and thankfulness for what we have. Really.