23-04-2025
Johnstown HS students prepare handmade bowls for annual fundraiser
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Dozens of high school students and local artists are making bowls to prepare for the 14th annual 'Empty Bowls Dinner' on April 24.
The event is a fundraiser to benefit local organizations that combat hunger and homelessness in the community. It'll support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Altoona-Johnstown, the Cambria County Backpack Project and the Women's Help Center.
Each empty bowl serves as a reminder of the people who go without food every day.
'This dinner supports local organizations combating hunger and homelessness in our community. So all the money stays directly in our community and it services many of our students and their families. So that's really important to us, being one of the poorest districts in the entire state of Pennsylvania,' Cindy Maloy, the school's Art Teacher and Key Club Co-Advisor, said.
This year's dinner is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for students and children. Additional bowls can also be purchased for $10 each.
Last year, they raised $6,000 for the three organizations. They also celebrated a milestone of $50,000 raised in the last 13 years.
'It's amazing and it's heartwarming and it shows that our community can support us. And it also shows the awesome things that our students do at Johnstown High School,' Maloy said.
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From the pottery wheel to the finished product, each bowl takes anywhere from eight to 10 days to create.
The members of the Key Club said it's worth it.
'I really love like when little kids come up and they're like, mom, this is the bowl I want. And I can be like, that's my bowl. I mean it fills me with so much joy and like, a sense of accomplishment, and what I'm doing is like making a difference and making people happy,' Blaise Veney, Secretary of the Key Club said.
However, Key Club members aren't the only ones contributing to the fundraiser. Advisors, staff at the high school, and ceramic artists who participated in the first annual Soup'r Bowl also made bowls.
Hundreds of bowls are already completed, and ready to be filled with soup.
'I love getting my hands dirty in the clay and just getting to shape them all. It's just a really cool organization, and I'm extremely happy to be a part of it. I love that we're helping so many different communities,' Delanie Kiser, a Senior Key Club member, said.
She's already made 60 bowls. This is her third year participating in the event.
The Key Club expects to have around 500 bowls ready for the dinner. In the meantime, you can follow their progress on the club's Instagram page.
All of the proceeds will be evenly distributed between the Cambria County Backpack Project, St. Vincent de Paul, and the Women's Help Center.
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