On Thursday, November 7, the Leadership class at Owen Sound District Secondary School (OSDSS) hosted the second annual Empty Bowls event to raise money for OSHaRE in Owen Sound.
OSHaRE provides meals for individuals who are experiencing food insecurity locally, as well as school lunches daily for the student body at OSDSS.
The event was brought to OSDSS through Co-op Teacher Ken Jones, who ran a similar event at his previous school in Wiarton.
Ken continues to have a strong relationship with local potters, who donate their handcrafted bowls for the event. Through the ticket price, participants could pick out their handcrafted bowl prior to selecting a soup made through the OSDSS Culinary program. Local businesses generously donated all food ingredients to make the soup along with ice cream for dessert.
The Leadership students saw the importance of continuing this event given the significant need in the community for OSHaRE's services. Under the guidance of their teacher, Katie Ferguson, the class has worked with the organization several times over the past few years and developed a strong connection.
Tickets for Empty Bowls were sold out before the event with approximately $7,500 raised for OSHARE! The class was thrilled with the turnout and community support.
"I could not have been more proud of my Leadership class and how they interacted with the guests," said Katie Ferguson. "I received a steady flow of glowing feedback from the guests about how much they enjoyed the event and how wonderful my Leadership students were. I left the event feeling grateful that I could be part of such a meaningful experience and so, so proud of the work our young people do, and how much compassion they are capable of."