Nutrition classes assist community
Students to work at Empty Bowl Luncheon
By Lara Hendrickson
Staff Reporter

Many students enrolled in nutrition professor Lyn Dart’s classes are volunteering at the Empty Bowls Luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Bass Performance Hall in the Maddox-Muse Center.
Dart said each semester, students in the nutritional sciences department help different organizations in the community that have a focus on nutrition for a required community service credit. About 50 TCU students from the Issues of Food in Society classes and in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics will be volunteering at this event, Dart said.

Andrea Helm, communications director for the luncheon, said the luncheon is called the Empty Bowls Luncheon because for the $20 fee, everyone chooses a donated, handcrafted bowl that they keep after the event.

“We’re expecting 750 to 1,000 people,” Helm said. “We could raise as much as $20,000.”

All proceeds raised, including the $28,000 already donated from sponsors, will go toward the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Helm said.

Dart said since this was the first year for the Empty Bowls Luncheon, the Tarrant Area Food Bank was in need of this large number of volunteers to help with the event, and her students were made for the job.

“An event such as this is ideal for our Coordinated Program in Dietetics students who have first-hand experience with all aspects of food preparation and food service,” Dart said.

All those who attend the luncheon will receive samples of foods and desserts from a number of different restaurants including the Ashton Hotel, Cafe Aspen and Escargot Restaurant, Helm said.

Woolridge said both the students and the community benefit from the service.

“We are really excited to help the community,” Woolridge said. “This is extremely beneficial because it deals with the hungry, which is an important issue in society.”

Dart said this program is just as beneficial to the student who volunteers.

“By donating their time and energy, the student helps to meet the needs of the organization, which in turn benefits the community they live in,” Dart said. “At the same time, the student gains valuable interactive skills in communication and learning how to work as a group member in the community. Thus, everyone wins.”

While this is the first year for the Empty Bowls luncheon to be held in the Fort Worth area, the idea is about four years old, Helm said. Dallas County has held the previously successful event and Helm said it is important for students as well as the community to recognize it.

“Most people have no idea how bad malnutrition is,” Helm said. “The Empty Bowls Luncheon keeps hunger right in front of us in the local community.”

Lara Hendrickson