Handcrafted bowls made by local students, teachers, and artists will be sold at Buffalo State’s eighth annual Empty Bowls fundraising event Sunday, May 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Guests select a bowl, then are invited to share a simple meal, included in the price of the bowl, which is usually about $10. The decorated bowls serve as a reminder of all the hunger and empty bowls around the world.

Empty Bowls is an invitation for artists of all ages to join in the fight against hunger in Western New York by creating a bowl to be sold at the event. Eleven percent of New York residents have trouble meeting basic nutritional needs and 35 million people nationwide suffer from hunger or live on the edge of hunger.

The event was adopted seven years ago by Buffalo State's Art Education and Design departments. The art education students, under the direction of John Siskar, associate professor of art education, created and distributed lessons plans about Empty Bowls to interested Western New York teachers.

Lunch is donated by Oliver’s and other local restaurants. All proceeds from the bowls sold benefit the Food Bank of Western New York and Friends of Night People.

For more information, visit the Empty Bowls Web site or look for the event on Facebook.