Georgia Southern Ceramic Students Raise Nearly $4,000 for Statesboro Food Bank

November 12, 2012

Georgia Southern University students raised a record $3,930 for the Statesboro Food Bank during the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art’s annual chili bowl sale on Thursday, Oct. 18. Hundreds of handcrafted bowls were sold in just three hours during the sale, held in conjunction with the Department’s Empty Bowl Project.

“The sale was a great success,” said project coordinator and ceramics professor Jeff Schmuki. “This is the largest amount that this event has ever raised, and I am proud of the students for their hard work.”  The money raised by the Empty Bowl Project will purchase more than 18,000 cans of food which is nearly a two-month supply for the Statesboro Food Bank.

Handmade bowls were filled with chili at the Russell Union Rotunda and sold for a $10 donation. The patrons kept the bowls as a reminder of those in need in Statesboro and Bulloch County.  “This project is about those less fortunate, and the larger picture is that it takes the community coming together to make a difference and solve issues like hunger,” said Schmuki.

The operations director of the Statesboro Food Bank accepted the nearly $4,000 donation check from the students. “This is, I believe, the largest single donation ever made to the Statesboro Food Bank,” said Joe Bill Brannon. “This money is a big deal for us!”

Brannon explained that monetary donations to the Food Bank have decreased this year while the need for its services has continued to rise.  “We have families that were able to donate to us last year but are now in financial constraints and need our services this year,” said Brannon.

The Statesboro Food Bank is the largest food supplier in this area. Brannon explained that it also assists surrounding counties in locating food donations when that county’s supplies are running low.  He attributes much of the continued success and sustainability of the Statesboro Food Bank to Georgia Southern.  “Not another county near us can come close to what we have at the Statesboro Food Bank and much of that is thanks to Georgia Southern University,” said Brannon.

The 2012 Empty Bowl Project was sponsored in part by the Statesboro Lions Club and Georgia Southern Catering Services.

The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art at Georgia Southern is committed to offering quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs that prepare students to become professional artists, designers, art historians and industry executives. An accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the Department offers a comprehensive curriculum encompassing the practical, theoretical and historical aspects of the visual arts. For more information about the Department, please visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/art.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906 offers more than 120 degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University is one of the Top 10 most popular universities in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, and is the top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu