Campus program becomes model for world hunger appeal

Kris L. Shafer, ’78, has always been passionate about world hunger. “I’ve wanted to sensitize people to social issues, and world hunger and poverty are those issues,” she said.

As volunteer development and art management coordinator for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Shafer has helped with the ELCA’s World Hunger Appeal for years, but she recently found a way to make her efforts even more meaningful after visiting Wittenberg.

While on campus conducting internship interviews, Shafer met with Judith O’Connor, assistant provost for off-campus programs, who told her about Wittenberg’s “Empty Bowls” dinner and art show.

The proceeds of the annual event benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank in Springfield. Taken with the idea, Shafer is now helping to coordinate the ELCA’s first “Hunger Bowl Project.”

Part of a nationwide, yearlong celebration of the 25th anniversary of the ELCA’s World Hunger Appeal, the project hopes to raise awareness of hunger and poverty at home and throughout the world.

All ELCA colleges, universities and campus ministries were invited to “throw soup bowls” for the project.

Making bowls for this project actually involved hand-shaping clay into soup-sized bowls, Shafer explained, adding that some of the bowls were also fired for preservation and future use.

Each bowl needed to fit in a six- or seven-inch cube for shipping, display and use. The bowls will be shipped to Denver, Colo., for display at the August 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

During the August assembly, five cash scholarship awards will be given to five potters for their soup bowls and their campus’ efforts to raise awareness and action in addressing world hunger and poverty.

Six Wittenberg art students contributed 40 bowls to the project. They were: Carrie Price, ’00, Andrew Scherer, ’99, Vanessa Crossgrove, ’99, Lorenzo Flores, ’01, Katrina Stechschulte, ’01, and Chelsea Deming, ’99.

The bowls will join hundreds of others at the assembly, after which each voting member will take one bowl to his or her synod with the hope of furthering connections among congregations and ELCA colleges, universities and campus ministries.

-KG