Art Club Partners in Empty Bowls Hunger Relief Project
Oct 19, 2026The Rockingham Community College Art Club is helping fight hunger in Rockingham County through its participation in the Empty Bowls Project, a community fundraiser benefiting the Reidsville Outreach Center’s efforts to address food insecurity.
According to Fine Arts Instructor and Art Club Advisor Phil Haralam, the project gives students and employees an opportunity to use their creativity to make a meaningful impact in the community while supporting local hunger relief efforts.
The initiative begins on campus with the RCC Bowl-a-Thon, hosted by the RCC Art Club from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23 in the Center for Creative Arts Room 104, the ceramics studio. During the drop-in event, RCC students and employees can create or glaze a handmade ceramic bowl with assistance from Art Club members. No ceramics experience is required.
In addition to supporting a good cause, student participants who donate their bowls to the fundraiser will be eligible for $100 cash awards in five categories: Best Beginner, Most Unique, Best Thrown, Best Hand-Built, and Best Glaze. The competition provides an added opportunity for students to showcase their creativity while contributing to the community effort.
Participants may choose to keep their bowl or donate it to the Empty Bowls Fundraiser, helping support the larger community effort.
“The money goes to the food bank to help those with food insecurity in our area,” Haralam said.
He said the project gives students a unique opportunity to see how art can have a direct impact beyond the classroom.
“Partnering with the Art Club and this organization gives our students an opportunity to help our community,” he said. “It also connects the idea of how art can affect people’s lives directly through an object.”
The Empty Bowls Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 409 S. Main St., Reidsville. Organized by the Reidsville Area Foundation, the event features handcrafted bowls created by community members and students, with proceeds benefiting the Reidsville Outreach Center. Tickets are $30 and help support the organization’s efforts to provide nutritious grocery items and food assistance to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity throughout Rockingham County
RCC President Dr. Sylvia Cox highlighted the fundraiser as an example of how RCC connects learning with service.
“It really brings together the power of art and connection and giving back to your community,” Cox said.
In addition to raising awareness about hunger in Rockingham County, the project provides students with hands-on opportunities to engage with the community while demonstrating how creativity and service can work together to make a difference. Through the RCC Bowl-a-Thon and the Empty Bowls Fundraiser, participants can help fill empty bowls and support neighbors in need.
To attend the Nov. 14 Empty Bowls fundraiser, please call the Reidsville Outreach Center at 336-342-7770 for information about the $30 tickets.
