Lowcountry students helping to stop hunger

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By Jaime Dailey - bio | email

BEAUFORT, SC (WTOC) - Students at Riverview Charter School are doing their part to put an end to hunger while learning how to grow food first-hand on the farm.

"We went to Harbersham with the kindergartners to actually pick some of the plants we actually sent to Habersham to be harvested and we picked quite a few veggies," said fifth grader Joy Williams.

Students cleaned and cut the vegetables that will be used to make soup at school. While others made hand crafted ceramic bowls, symbols for the Empty Bowls Project, an international initiative designed to raise money and awareness to put an end to hunger.

"We hope that we can fill their bowls instead of empty bowls," said Riverview student, Andrew Lesnet.

With these hands-on experiences, students seem to really understand the importance of what they're learning.

"We have been doing a lot of studying on it because we really want to help people in our community here at Riverview," said Riverview student, Alexis Summerville.

"Why we are doing this project is so that there are no people hungry in our community," said another Riverview student, Alexis Russell.

During a special event Thursday, parents and guests will be filling the empty bowls with donations that will go directly to the Lowcountry Food Bank.

And those donations impact organizations like the Salvation Army in Beaufort. Capt. Peggy Griffin says they're seeing more people than ever come in for food assistance and they depend on the food bank to help them and help others.

"Without the food bank there is no way we could serve the amount of people we serve. Last year we served 762 families with just food and this year we know its going to exceed easily over 1,200 families," said Griffin.

Through this project, students say they now understand they can make a difference.

"There is a lot of people that need help in this world and that some people can make a difference, it's not just us but a lot of people can," said Williams.

"I think they've really come to understand how a project like this can help people outside their little world," said Wheezy Alcott.

And they're doing it one bowl of soup at a time.

If you'd like to make a donation in support of the Empty Bowls Project, contact Eleanor Bednarsh at Riverview Charter School at 843.379.0123 or visit www.lowcountryfoodbank.org.