Art to fill a need: Seabreeze students make bowls for 18th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser

Halifax Urban Ministries' fundraiser will be held on March 14, at the Ocean Center.

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When she was younger, Seabreeze High School sophomore Savannah Surgent attended the annual Halifax Urban Ministries' Empty Bowls event with her parents. 

Now, she is part of the initiative to help feed the need in Volusia and Flagler counties. Surgent is one of dozens of Seabreeze students who have crafted ceramic bowls for the 18th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, to be held from 12-3 p.m. on March 14, at the Ocean Center. 

"I always wanted to make those bowls," Surgent said. "... Growing up, I had bowls from other people and now I'm giving back and that really makes me happy." 

Empty Bowls was created in the 1990s by a Michigan art teacher and his students to raise awareness in their community about hunger. The fundraiser invites attendees to enjoy various soups and each takes home a handcrafted "empty" bowl, symbolizing how many people lack basic access to regular meals. 

HUM Executive Director Roy Young got a chance to see the bowls in person on Thursday, Feb. 12, as they were being packed up at Seabreeze. He was impressed by the student art, and said that HUM is always looking for a great community project to involve the community. 

"It's a critical piece of what HUM does for the community, which is to get everybody together, raise awareness about homelessness and about food shortages, and to be able to include their artwork, their creative skills, in a way that advocates for people are less fortunate," Young said.

Seabreeze junior Nayana Stephenson said making a bowl for the fundraiser was a nice experience that allowed for collaboration. It was Surgent who gave her the idea to make a papaya pot.

"She's really inspiring," Stephenson said. "It was really nice to collaborate with all my friends and we could share ideas. It was a really nice experience."

Seabreeze senior Emily Brooke-Schmoyer decided to make two animal-themed bowls: a black cat and a white bunny. Participating in the fundraiser was fun, she said, and allowed lots of room for creativity.

"I do more three-dimensional sculpting, and because I didn't really have any limitations on that, I decided: 'Why not make cute bunnies and cats?'" she said.

Volusia County Schools Visual Arts Specialist Bryce Hammond said Empty Bowls is one of his favorite initiatives every year. Not only do students get to showcase their art, but they also contribute to a local cause. 

Like Surgent, Hammond's parents brought home student bowls from when they attended fundraiser 18 years ago. It's a multi-generational event.

"They're doing what they saw that they were so impressed with," Hammond said. "I have no academic words for that except it's like the coolest thing." 

Young told the students that he often hears people talk about the bowls they have taken home from past events — bowls that are now displayed in their homes as art pieces. He thanked them for being a part of Empty Bowls. 

"We really think it's God's work to help each other — to love each other and to make sure that the love that you put into the piece that you made gets translated and put on a shelf of great importance," Young said.

It's inspiring to know they are helping others, Surgent said.

"My thing for myself is I want to be the best person I can be, and I feel like helping others is really a big part of that," Surgent said. "It feels great. I've never done anything like this before."

Tickets for Empty Bowls are $30. Sponsorships are available. Visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/empty-bowls-2026-the-ocean-center.

 

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