When two like-minded people meet by chance there’s sure to be something special happen.
That’s exactly how ceramic sculptor Sarah Bing and Raglan Foodbank coordinator Marion Wright started their collaborative project to help feed local families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
The pair met a pottery wheel workshop Sarah was running at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre.
It was the perfect meeting of the minds with Sarah keen to run a Hungry Bowl initiative in Raglan and Marion eager to get community kai nights up and running again.
“Marion was talking about the community kai night and I’ve been looking for a reason to do this (Hungry bowls) and it just all fell into place,” Sarah says.
Hungry Bowls is based on the international grassroots movement Empty Bowls, which is run by artists to raise money for food related charities to care for and feed the hungry in their communities.
The idea behind the project is for local creatives to make beautiful handcrafted bowls, which will be filled with delicious soup and sold at a Hungry Bowls community event.
The profit is then used to support the free community kai night.
“It’s an awesome way for potters to be able to give back to the community,” Sarah says.
The community kai night Marion had started last winter was an initiative to top up families who were struggling to stretch their food budget.
“We had begun to notice the impact of the cost-of-living crisis so we decided to put on a hot meal for whoever turned up.”
Not many people came to the first few sessions but Marion put this down to lack of advertising and, she thought, the shame of being vulnerable.
“We realised this needs to be open to the whole community so that foodbank clients can come incognito and enjoy a free meal with the community without feeling like they are being pitied,” Marion says.
“I think everyone, just like our foodbank clients, really feel the pinch in winter. We know our clients have exhausted their resources, WINZ isn’t giving them any more money, and the family is sick of being asked. It just gets tough and they come to us as a last resort and that’s really hard for them.”
Around 100 bowls have already been thrown by Clay Shed members over a weekend, including Marion who reckons she upped her skill level.
“My throwing skills have improved, I can throw faster now,” Marion says.
The pair is grateful for any local support, including food donations, help with bowl throwing, support on the night or any other way to support this local initiative.
The first Raglan Hungry Bowls is Friday 2 June from 5.30-7.30pm at the Raglan Town Hall Supper Room – $20 for delicious soup and a bowl to go – first in, first served.
To find out more contact Marion at foodbank@surfside.co.nz or Sarah at sarah.marie.bing@gmail.com.
