Empty Bowls benefit comes to Shelter Island

With spring upon us, Shelter Island School art teacher Stephanie Sareyani and her students are looking forward to getting their hands dirty by digging into the school’s edible garden.

“Each of the classes are cleaning the beds and I’m starting to do things in the classroom with the kids,” explained Ms. Sareyani, who tends the garden over the summer and during the school year often uses it as artistic inspiration for her students.

So it’s fitting that Ms. Sareyani’s K-12 art students have been hard at work lately creating 250 or so handmade ceramic bowls for the third annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, which will be held at the school on Sunday, April 3 from noon to 3 p.m. At the event, participants are invited to select a bowl of their choosing and fill it with a variety of soups made by local chefs from several Island restaurants.

“This year’s better than ever,” Ms. Sareyani told the Reporter. “The kids have really raised the quality of the bowls.”

During the Empty Bowls fundraiser, guests will also have an opportunity to see for themselves how the school garden is doing or take part in kids activities and raffles.

Tickets will be sold at the door and are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for kids, with a $30 maximum for families. All proceeds will benefit the Edible School Garden and the Shelter Island Food Pantry. Soup-to-go will also be available.