There were 85 bowls up for bid during the Bensenville Arts Council’s first annual Empty Bowl Silent Auction, and every bowl found a new cupboard to call home. Held at the Bensenville Community Public Library, the event benefited the Bensenville-Wood Dale Food Pantry.

“It’s important for kids to learn that there are others less fortunate, around the world and close to home,” said Jill Rodriguez, Bensenville Community Public Library director.

“This was a simple, giving way for kids to contribute (those who made bowls). The community — all ages — needs to recognize that we are all one village, and by sharing, we can be a better place to live, work and grow.”

There was a fuzzy, yellow crocheted fleece bowl and a snack set of tea cups that included a giant cup to hold chips or pretzels. They were ceramic, papier-mâché, lace, wood, pipe cleaner and fabric that had been thrown, braided, fused, wrapped and coiled. They were short, tall, fat, wide, skinny and even heart-shaped.

“We thought this event would be a cool thing to do to see what would happen — something a little different to raise money,” Rodriguez said. “We just all loved the idea because it was a way for the community to get involved not just with bidding, but bringing bowls in. Rather than just someone sponsoring (a bowl), this was more participatory.”

From Bensenville schools holding their bowl class to the Bensenville Park District collecting bowls from groups to individuals bringing bowls in, the council was overwhelmed with support.

“I’m so proud what we were able to do (this) without a lot (of) work,” Rodriguez said. “We just invited people to donate bowls, and we were so pleased with the response.”

The bowls were on display at the library until April 13 during the annual Student Art Show reception and awards ceremony. The two events were coordinated in the hope that visitors of the Art Show would see the Empty Bowl project and place a bid.

And did they ever place bids: Each bowl had a minimum bid of $10 or $20 and over $1,700 was raised to benefit the food pantry.

Winners were notified on April 14 and picked up their bowls on April 16 during a soup supper reception at the library, where winners and non-winners were invited to eat a bowl of soup.

“This is just another creative way to generate money for the food pantry,” Rodriguez said.

According to Rodriguez, the Bensenville Arts Council decided to host an Empty Bowl event after chairperson Michael Heggerty told them about the project.

Empty Bowls started informally in 1990 when a high school art teacher in Michigan was looking to raise funds for a food drive. He started a class project of making ceramic bowls to serve a meal of soup and bread, and people were invited to keep the bowl as a reminder that there are always empty bowls in the world. In exchange for the meal and bowl, guests would give a suggested minimum donation of $10.

The council tweaked that concept into a silent auction as a way to allow more time to showcase the bowls.

The Bensenville Community Public Library is a member of the Bensenville Arts Council.

“The Arts Council offers wonderful programs for the community, from guest artists to concerts to workshops for all ages,” Rodriguez said. “We had almost 200 people at the Art Show reception. This was our first-ever fundraiser for another organization, and we loved doing it. It was great to see the community respond.”

To learn more about Empty Bowls, visit www.emptybowls.net.

“This was a really good way to talk about hunger and people who are less fortunate than us,” Rodriguez said. “This was such a neat idea, to do more than just reaching in your pocket and taking out $10.”

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