Empty Bowls 2016

6th Grade Life Lessons

By Jeff Oswald, MI Director

Thirty-six sixth graders learned more than can be taught from any curriculum and they provided more than they had to give. Thanks to the insight and creativity of their teachers and the generosity of those who came out to support them, the sixth grade classes from Northpointe Christian Academy of Grand Rapids experienced things that books could not teach them and they will be providing hundreds of meals for those whom they have never met but now understand a little better.

During the "Empty Bowls" dinner, the sixth grade classes shared their experiences of going without food for a period of time. Although the choice to go without was an individual commitment and choice rather than a demand by the circumstances of their lives, these young people experienced going with out one or more meals for the purpose of learning what some are forced to go through every day. Life lessons such as these can and often do plant seeds of thought, conviction and empathy in young lives that produce much fruit in years to come.

This life lesson not only taught these young people but the efforts that came out of the lesson will provide hundreds of meals for young people in Michigan and on the other side of the world. Over $1200 were raised through the benefit dinner attended by parents and friends of the students, and the sale of empty bowls that were made by members of the class. These funds will be used to feed hungry children in the Grand Rapids area, through Kids' Food Basket, as well as orphaned and abandoned children in Liberia, West Africa, through the ministry of the Baptist Children's Home.