How to have an Empty Bowls Project at your School.
Here is a basic outline or guide to having a successful Empty Bowls Event.
Below are examples of flyers, letters and a press release.
Good luck and feel free to contact me with any questions.
- Get permission from administration and Board of Education.
- Be sure to document everything you do along the way and reflect often with the students.
- Discuss plans with students and elect or appoint leaders.
- Choose a date. A minimum of 4 months, but more time would be better.
- Notify the food bank. Plan some participation or activity with them. This will allow the students to better understand the issues of hunger and food insecurity.
- Start making bowls. Lots of bowls!
- Secure soup, bread, dessert and water donations. Ask locally owned businesses for donations. Also, remember paper products and any decorations you may want for the room. Figure about 16 oz. of soup per guest. We used 6 oz ladles so guests could try more than one soup.
- Secure a venue that will accommodate the amount of people you expect. This is difficult, but estimate a larger amount of guests than you really anticipate.
- Start advertising. Create a logo and reach out to local media. Make flyers. Send information to local churches and city officials. Be sure to recognize the donating restaurants. Also, reach out personally to school administration and the B.O.E. as well as the local newspapers and television stations.
- You may want to create a reservation opportunity, but be prepared for people to just show up the night of the event. However, reservations do help when trying to get an idea of how many people may attend.
- Reach out to the community for involvement; glazing party, local potters, raffle possibly.
- Use social media to advertise, Facebook and Twitter reach a lot of people at once.
- Find entertainment, student entertainment would be best.
- Have the event and take a lot of pictures. Be sure to document the entire event.
- Reflect on the event; ask students questions about their experience. Ask students what they learned and ask them what they will take away from the experience.
- Write thank you letters to all involved. If you have left over bowls, give them to donors as a token of thanks.
- Write a press release to be shared with the community, the donors, and local media.
Below are examples of flyers, letters and a press release.
Good luck and feel free to contact me with any questions.