Ridgeview, Redmond HS fill Empty Bowls for charity

Almost 450 handcrafted bowls and several tasty soups greeted guests at Ridgeview High School on a cold and wet Sunday. Students from Ridgeview and Redmond high schools have been working overtime in preparation.

“All the students have been making bowls,” said Ridgeview senior Carson Tucker. “We’ve come in on weekends and spent a couple hours here, just everyone making bowls, and trimming, and taking care of all this.”

The public was invited to purchase the students’ handiwork, and break it in with some hot soup. Aside from being part of their ceramics class, the bowl-making also serves a noble purpose.

“So for 15 bucks they get fed, they get to keep the bowl — and then all of the proceeds go to Jericho Road. We don’t keep any of it,” said Ridgeview art teacher Brian Manselle.

Much like the annual fall Empty Bowls event at COCC in Bend that benefits NeighborImpact, the Redmond Empty Bowls affair has a special beneficiary: Jericho Road, a Redmond-based charity that provides food and transitional housing to homeless families in the area.

“It’s nice to be able to give back, when I’ve been so blessed in my life, and I like to be able to help others,” Tucker said.

For this event, the goodwill went full circle. Everything from the ceramics materials to the soup ingredients was given to the students for the cause.

“It’s all donated funds from our community and goes right back in to the Redmond community,” Manselle said.

Organizers, students and participants all told us it’s a win-win situation.

“You get an awesome bowl handmade by students, and you get soup — and it goes to a great cause,” Tucker said.

More information on Jericho Road can be found at www.jerichoroad.yolasite.com.