The spirit of giving was alive and well at the Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church’s Holiday Market and Christmas Fair on Saturday, Nov. 23, where Empty Bowls Bay Ridge once again got creative in aiding the fight against hunger.
As part of the annual holiday event, the community gathered to purchase hand-painted ceramic bowls created by local artists, with all proceeds going to support the church’s Community Food Pantry, which provides essential aid to families in Bay Ridge and Sunset Park.
Empty Bowls Bay Ridge has become a fixture at the church, utilizing its events to raise awareness and funds for the ongoing battle against food insecurity. The Empty Bowls Project is part of a nationwide movement that unites artists and communities to raise money for food-related charities.
Through the sale of unique, handcrafted bowls — marked at $25 a piece — Empty Bowls has raised millions of dollars for hunger-fighting organizations around the world. The first Empty Bowls event was organized in 1990 by a Michigan art teacher to help support a local food drive.
Locally, Empty Bowls Bay Ridge was started in 2012 by potter and retired art teacher Ed Huml, his wife Deirdre Laughton and their friend Danielle Bullock. Since then, they have helped raise thousands of dollars for Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
“It’s a program that potters have been doing for a number of years,” Huml told Bklyner in 2018. “When you’re looking around the neighborhood and you see who does Meals on Wheels, it’s like, really? What can I do? I ain’t Bill Gates, so this seemed like the perfect fit.”
And so, they partnered with Rev. David Aja-Sigmon, a pastor at Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church since 2005. Together, they’ve aimed to host two events each year, drawing crowds of collectors and supporters alike to the house of worship.
Saturday’s efforts were no different.
“We’re delighted to welcome everyone to our Christmas Fair,” Aja-Sigmon told Brooklyn Paper on Saturday. “We felt so supported by Empty Bowls — that helps support our food pantry. We got to see the community and share some art and joy.”
In addition to the sale of bowls, the pantry gratefully accepted donations of dry and non-perishable food items, baby supplies, and toiletries — adding to its efforts as the holiday season approaches.
— Additional reporting by Arthur de Gaeta
