Soup for the soul

WEBUTUCK — Eugene Brooks Intermediate School (EBIS) and the North East Community Center (NECC) carried out its 10th annual Empty Bowls soup fundraiser throughout the last weeks of March and first weeks of April.

A lot of time is invested in this project — students meet for a span of four weeks as they prepare for the fundraiser. One of the steps involves them designing custom ceramic bowls.

“Students made bowls at Diane Schapira’s studio in Lakeville,” said  John Roccanova, the Empty Bowls coordinator and Webutuck technology teacher. 

Webutuck staff members then purchase the custom bowls made by the club or donated by professional potters Schapira, Paul Chaleff and Judi Esmond.

After sorting out the bowls, students and their supervisors met last Tuesday to cook two large pots of soup in the Webutuck kitchen to serve on Friday to those who bought bowls.

The menu included corn quinoa chowder and white bean and kale soup — kale that came from the Webutuck/NECC garden, one of two beneficiaries of the fundraiser.

“Funds collected go toward purchasing materials and seeds for the school garden and the nutrition program by Doctors Without Borders,” said Tamara Mijatovic, NECC’s junior high school program coordinator.

Doctors Without Borders is a humanitarian organization that provides medical care in developing nations and areas of war.

It was reported that the fundraiser raised approximately $800 this year.

“I was so proud to see our students so engaged in our community service efforts,” Mijatovic said. “It was the first time that all of them had participated in the Empty Bowls Project, and they were dedicated to each step of the planning process, from creating posters to using the skills they’ve developed in our weekly Cooking Club to prepare the soup.”

Projects such as this one teach important values and create a sense of togetherness for a purpose, said those who participated.

“If you give good, you’ll get it back,” said seventh-grader Sara Vega.

When asked about how the project went, seventh-grade student RaeAnn Foley replied, “if the soup is good, then life is good.”

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