Students from McMurry University and ACU united to raise awareness for hunger by participating in an Empty Bowls event Friday.

Empty Bowls, an international grassroots effort to fight hunger, brings together craftspeople, educators and students with the community to create handcrafted bowls.

Those in attendance were invited to a meal of soup and asked to keep the bowls as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. Suggested cash donation was $10 with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward ending local and global hunger.

“This year, a group of McMurry students, local potters, and some local businesses decided to host the Abilene Empty Bowls Project as part of World Village on the campus,” said Tim Palmer, assistant chaplain at McMurry University.

“All of the proceeds will go to feeding our hungry brothers and sisters through the Methodist Food Pantry,” Palmer said.

“We hope to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in our own community, as well as co-create a culture in which hunger is history,” he said.

To date, Abilene Empty Bowls projects held in 2008, 2009, 2010 have raised more than $35,000 toward combating local and global hunger.

Briana Dinella, senior interior design major from McPherson, Kan., connected the ACU art department with this event. Dinella, who is currently enrolled in an art history class at McMurry University, heard about Empty Bowls through her professor and asked if ACU could be involved.

“ACU helped with Empty Bowls a few years back, but this year I thought I would keep it going,” Dinella said.

“I felt in my heart that I needed to see what needed to be done and to see how I could help,” she said.

After talking with her professor at McMurry, Dinella contacted Kenny Jones, a professor in the art department who teaches ceramics, to get him on board with Empty Bowls.

“Mr. Jones also asked his students in his ceramic classes if they would donate some of their bowls that were projects from their class. A lot of them were very generous and made beautiful bowls,” Dinella said.

Morgan Hudson, junior interior design major from Abilene, donated something just as important: her time.  Hudson, in addition to buying a bowl of soup, volunteered at the event.

“What I really enjoyed about the Empty Bowls project was blending communities between universities. It was an awesome experience meeting the other students and coming together for a great cause. I wish this happened more often,” Hudson said.

Dinella echoed this sentiment and hopes that someone will take the reins next year and keep it going.

“What a great project and a great way to bring people together. People with no art background and with an art background both coming together and making bowls for the hungry. Every bowl is worth the $10,” Dinella said.