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The hunger to help others

| 01 Aug 2013 | 02:29
    Warwick Valley High School students Victoria Garloch, left, and Gianna Rotondo, Empty Bowls student representatives, display the ìgiant checkî from Cablevisionís MSG Varsity/Power to Learn Charity Champions program. The award recognized student fund-raising efforts to help Empty Bowls support local organizations, encompassing the entire Town of Warwick, that provide food or meals for town students, senior citizens and families in need.
    Warwick Valley High School students Victoria Garloch, left, and Gianna Rotondo, Empty Bowls student representatives, display the ìgiant checkî from Cablevisionís MSG Varsity/Power to Learn Charity Champions program. The award recognized student fund-raising efforts to help Empty Bowls support local organizations, encompassing the entire Town of Warwick, that provide food or meals for town students, senior citizens and families in need.

WARWICK — Warwick Valley High School has been recognized with a $1,000 check for its student fund-raising efforts for Empty Bowls 2013 by Cablevision’s MSG Varsity/Power to Learn Charity Champions program.

The program promotes volunteerism among high school students, who help to raise money for a school-selected charity, commit time and effort to raising money and contribute the funds raised.

This year’s third annual Empty Bowls benefit for local food organizations, held in the spring at Warwick Valley High School, raised $40,000 in proceeds and community donations.

Because the number of hungry children and families in the Town of Warwick continues to rise each year, the Empty Bowls planning committee chose to donate the proceeds to five local organizations, encompassing the entire Town of Warwick, that provide food or meals for town students, senior citizens and families in need:

The Backpack Snack Attack program to feed students.

Florida Community Food Pantry.
Greenwood Lake Food Pantry.

Warwick Community Kitchen free monthly meals in Pine Island.

Warwick Ecumenical Food Pantry.

Empty Bowls featured a community meal of gourmet soups, fresh bread and dessert; beautiful hand thrown pottery bowls donated by local potters; music performances by student and area musicians; silent auction; pottery wheel demonstrations and hands-on pottery projects for kids.

Members of the school community were active participants: 36 Warwick Valley High School students volunteered 126 hours in support of the fund raiser. Their efforts included planning assistance, coordination of student and adult volunteers, soup preparation by WVHS students in the Orange-Ulster BOCES culinary program, performances by student musicians and vocalists, and help with setup, activities, snack sales and cleanup.

In addition to raising money for local organizations that provide food for an increasing number of hungry families in our community, another goal of the event was to raise awareness of the issue of hunger - both in our local community and in our society - and to encourage community service participation.

For more information, go to: www.warwickvalleyemptybowls.org.