Seekonk High School to host Empty Bowls Benefit Concert

On April 26th 2024, the first annual Empty Bowls Benefit Concert will be held in the Seekonk High School cafeteria from 6:30-8pm. The musical concert will feature the Seekonk High School Jazz Band as well as the school's favorite rock band, Fat Moose.

Available for purchase at the concert will be hundreds of student handmade ceramic bowls, with all proceeds going to Seekonk’s food pantry, Doorways. The event is free and open to all community members. The bowls cost $10.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to raise money for, and awareness about, hunger relief. Since its inception in a high school ceramics class in 1990, the project has engaged hundreds of thousands of individuals and raised millions of dollars for local communities. While every community’s objective remains the same, each event is self developed and independent. The handmade bowl is a stark reminder that many in our community face an empty bowl on a daily basis.

This is the third year Empty Bowls has been celebrated in Seekonk schools, but the first year at the high school. To date, Seekonk Empty Bowls has been able to donate around $2600 to Doorways. Each year community leaders are invited to attend including town government officials, school committee members and school administration, as well as local celebrities, including Mac, Seekonk Police Department’s puppy patrol officer.

What makes this Empty Bowls Benefit Concert unique, is that a large number of the Seekonk High School students that came together to create the event. Jackie Glum, ceramics teacher and event organizer said, “Seekonk High School is a unique place, where students love to give back through community service. Students from the Spanish Club, Portuguese Club, Art Club, Mud Club, Drama Club, and Papercuts our literary magazine club all donated their time to create the bowls that are for sale. The Key Club is donating baked goods. The SHS music program is providing entertainment. Our Transitions Academy is creating the centerpieces. Many students participated out of civic responsibility and the joy of giving back. I am so impressed at how this school community came together to create this worthwhile event.”

No tickets are necessary to attend The Empty Bowls Benefit Concert. The hope is that each patron will purchase a bowl while they enjoy the concert. Several bakeries and shops around town have donated delicious baked goods for purchase at the concert as well.

Empty Bowls is made possible by a grant from the Seekonk Cultural Council, which operates as a cultural partner in many arts-based programming in the town of Seekonk. If you would like to learn more about Doorways, please visit www.doorwaysfoodpantry.org.