More than 300 people poured into the CVU Café last night for a student-run event to combat food insecurity.

The second-annual Empty Bowls Dinner welcomed students, staff and community and raised $8,000 for the Hinesburg Community Resource Center & Food Shelf. Attendees of last night's dinner—which is part of a global, grassroots movement to raise money for those who are food insecure—ate from and took home beautiful bowls crafted at the CVU Ceramics Studio by a group of 15 volunteer potters and students. The meal of soup, bread and ice cream was donated by local restaurants.

Graduating senior Teryn Hytten brought the Empty Bowls concept to CVU last year. "I went to the UVM Empty Bowls dinner beginning when I was young; we were always the first in line, and it was like a holiday every year," she says. "They shut those down a few years ago, and it was such an important part of my childhood that I wanted to have it at CVU—both to bring it back and also for the students and the community."

Teryn and art teacher Emily Mitchell spearheaded the ceramics effort, facilitating the creation of more than 300 bowls in just nine weeks. Numerous local restaurants contributed to the meal, including the CVU Café, August First, Red Hen and Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream. Many others contributed to the silent auction, which featured more ceramics, cutting boards handcrafted by CVU Woodshop students and other items. More than 25 students and volunteers served food throughout the evening, and Teryn says the event's success extends far beyond her work.

"It feels like it ran itself this year," she says. "People who don't know me have a connection to Empty Bowls now. I'm really happy that this is something I get to leave to CVU."