On April 27-28, Parkway held its annual All-District Art Show at Queeny Park. Showcasing artwork from all Parkway schools, the art show invited families to gather and appreciate the creations of kindergarten through high school students. The art show was free and open to the public and was held from noon to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

One of the highlights of the art show was the annual Empty Bowls Pottery Sale that took place on Sunday. This sale is a fundraiser unique to Parkway that has been a recurring part of the art show for five years. Every year, student-made pottery pieces are collected and sold at the fundraiser where the proceeds are then donated completely to the Parkway Food Pantry.

The Parkway Food Pantry was started in 2017 as a weekend backpack program, which is a food program that offers free groceries for families over the weekend and during school breaks. Over the years, however, the Parkway Food Pantry evolved to become part of an official 501(c)3 program, or nonprofit organization recognized by the government, known as the Parkway Pantry Partners. President of Parkway Pantry Partners and Parkway West parent Heather Davis has been part of the Parkway Food Pantry since its origins.

“We started feeding 50 kids, then 75 kids, 100 kids, 125 kids and then we had a waiting list because we just could not get enough food in to help all the kids,” Davis said. “We have since pivoted to feeding families. Our goal is not to meet every need that our families have, but to help them.”

Although the Parkway Food Pantry often works through direct food donations and funds, fundraisers like the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale provide an important source of aid. Simple food donations do not provide for every specific need that families have. Davis has seen up close the impact of fundraisers through the Parkway Food Pantry.

“Any time any organization puts together an effort to help the pantry, [it] has a huge impact. We are not a line item on the school district’s budget. We have very specific items that we need to give out and that has to come from our accounts. Everything we have is because people are willing to give. We are helping a lot of people all because the community is generous. Anything the Empty Bowls Fundraiser can do is going straight to our families,” Davis said.

Although other schools have participated in the past, the pottery sale is run solely by West. Ceramics teacher Ashley Drissell started the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale after seeing the numerous pottery pieces left over from each school year. 

“I realized at the end of every year we always ended up with a lot of extra pottery and random student pieces,” Drissell said. “I also knew that there were a lot of people in the district [who] did not know about the Parkway Food Pantry. I had this idea that we should sell [the pottery] and [it would] be a good way to bring awareness to the food pantry and raise money.”

All the pottery pieces are handmade by Drissell and her students. While Drissell created some of the pottery intentionally for the sale, she mostly donates pottery made from demonstrations in class. After creating the pottery, students glaze the pottery themselves, turning the blank clay pottery into shiny, smooth, decorative pieces. This year, eight boxes were filled to the brim with pottery priced between $5 and $25. Among the pottery were cups, plates, bowls and even butter dishes. A feature piece of this year’s fundraiser was worry stones. These ceramic stones provide a smooth surface to rub, calming nerves and increasing focus.

A key aspect of the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale was the collective participation of the Parkway community. Beyond the creation of the pottery, Parkway students, teachers and parents volunteered and helped run the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale at the art show. Freshman Sam Fischer decided to volunteer as a way to help the Parkway Food Pantry raise money.

“I decided to volunteer because I wanted to be able to help students in need who required food, assistance or hygiene products. It’s nice to see people pick up the pretty pottery and the kids get excited about the nice designs,” Fischer said.

Every year, the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale strives to beat the previous year’s sales. This feat has been accomplished every year of the fundraiser, with over $7000 being raised throughout the past five years. 

This year, the pottery sale was able to beat last year’s total of $1,486 and set a new record of $1,635. Across the sale, an estimated 150-160 pieces of pottery and about 60 worry stones were sold.

For Drissell, the success of the Empty Bowl Pottery Sale holds a unique and personal meaning that continues to be an important part of the art show and to the Parkway community.

“There’s been some times in my life when I’ve had food shortages and I’ve had to utilize food pantries,” Drissell said. “For me, this is a way to give back to the pantry and connect to a cause that’s nearer in my heart. I think it’s important to have pottery in your life and use on a daily basis because it helps you to connect with art in a special way.”