MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
Reno Valley Middle School will host its 30th annual Empty Bowls Supper on Thursday, March 12, continuing a long-standing tradition that raises funds to help fight hunger in Reno County.
The event began three decades ago when former Reno Valley art teacher Jean Regier learned about similar community dinners from her sister, who was teaching art in California. Inspired by the concept, Regier worked with school administrators and fellow teachers to launch the program locally.
“Thirty years ago, my sister was talking about the Empty Bowls suppers they had around her school,” Regier said. “So I looked into it, and here we are 30 years later.”
From its earliest days, the project combined art, music and community service. Students created handmade clay bowls in art class while the school’s music program provided entertainment during the supper.
Today, the tradition continues under the coordination of Betsy Koon, an eighth-grade language arts teacher at Reno Valley Middle School. Koon has led the event for the past 10 years after Regier retired, working alongside a large team of teachers and staff who help organize the evening.
“We kind of have it down to a science after 30 years,” Koon said. “We have different teams that handle different pieces of the project, and everyone works together to make it happen.”
A central part of the event is the creation of hundreds of handmade ceramic bowls. Middle school students craft the bowls using several pottery techniques, including coil building, pinch pots and slab construction. In previous years, high school pottery students also assisted by using potter’s wheels to form bowls that middle school students then decorated.
After the bowls are shaped, they must dry for about a week before being fired in a kiln. The pottery goes through a two-step firing process — first a “bisque firing” at roughly 1,500 degrees, followed by glazing and a second firing at temperatures near 2,100 degrees.
Because each kiln can only hold so many pieces at once, producing a full batch of bowls takes several weeks.
“It’s a long process,” Regier said. “But by the time we’re finished, we have a great variety of bowls made by the students.”
The evening itself centers on a community chili supper. Students help supply ingredients such as beans, tomatoes, crackers and other items through a schoolwide collection effort, allowing nearly all funds raised to go directly to charity.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Christian Soup Ministry in downtown Hutchinson, which provides meals and support for individuals facing food insecurity.
Koon said the cause is especially meaningful for students after learning about hunger challenges in the community.
“In Reno County, nearly 16 percent of residents face some level of food insecurity,” Koon said. “That’s a big number for a county our size, and we’re proud to support a place like the Christian Soup Ministry that helps those families.”
The 30th annual Empty Bowls Supper will take place at Reno Valley Middle School on Thursday, March 12. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with chili served beginning at that time. A student dramatic performance titled Yaron, the Yodeling Cowboy, written by teacher Dan Brinkley, will begin around 6 p.m.
The event is open to the public and operates on a free-will donation. Each family attending will receive a handmade bowl created by students as a keepsake of the evening.
Organizers say the tradition has grown into a meaningful way for students and the broader community to come together in support of neighbors in need.
“It really shows how our county pulls together,” Koon said. “People give what they can from the heart, and it all goes to help someone who needs it.”