On March 12th, 2026, the Joliet Central High School Sculpture Studio students held a fundraiser in room 383 to raise money to help end food scarcity. Food scarcity is an ongoing concern in many communities when households don’t have enough or proper nutritional food to result in a healthy well being, so a change was made to attempt to ensure meals for all.
“Empty Bowls” is a grassroot movement where those that do sculpting and pottery connect it to the real and ongoing topic of ending food insecurity among all in the community. As the Sculpture Studio students learned to make soup bowls using the ceramic wheel, they decided to use the bowls to sell at the luncheon, ultimately raising money to help make sure those in the Joliet community get what they need. Many families and individuals struggle with not having enough access to proper food due to many reasons such as unemployment, income, and factors such as a disability that limits what one can do to earn money so the event acted as a way of fundraising. Tickets for the luncheon were sold at $20, available to staff members and all attendees got to keep a free soup bowl that the sculpture students made. As a movement on its own, Empty Bowls acts as a way to educate many on the growing importance of providing to those in need and spreading positivity as well as awareness that far too many families and people can’t afford to put food on the table.
Overall, the event held at Joliet Central helped act as a way to help spread knowledge on food insecurity in Illinois as well as a way of fundraising for those in need. Many staff members attended the event which made it a great success.