Wet clay slipped through my fingers as I nervously pushed the pedal faster. Raising my foot straight up, I was left with a comfortable speed that wouldn’t throw my soon-to-be bowl off the edge of the wheel. 
“Keep your hands steady. If your hands are still, then your bowl is centered,” Alisa “Al” Holen, Mississippi University for Women Clay Arts teacher and this year’s director of Columbus’ Empty Bowls Charity Event on Nov. 6 from 11 am to 2 pm at Brickerton Shopping Center, said.
Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement started by Michigan high school teacher John Hartom. In an effort to raise money for world hunger, Hartom had his students create ceramic bowls to sell to the community. The Imagine/Render Group became the official charity that took up Hartom’s idea, and the United Nations has adopted it as part of World Food Day on Oct. 16.
Today, communities across the nation and Canada each create 1,000 or more empty bowls to symbolize the millions that are without food to fill them. Local restaurants donate soup and other food items that are served. For a donation, participants eat soup and get to take home one of the bowls — often one that they participated in creating.
The official objectives of Empty Bowls are:
• Raise as much money as possible to feed the world’s hungry people. Lives are in the balance.
• Increase awareness of hunger and related issues. Through education, awareness and action, concerned individuals can change human attitudes that allow hunger to exist.
• Advocate for arts education. Nurturing the creative process through the arts enhances the possibility of finding new solutions to old problems.
There are three steps to making a bowl. I had accomplished centering the clay over the wheel and my hands were steady. Now, I had to create the hole by pressing my thumbs straight down into the mass of clay. The feeling was nothing I can describe. Every little move I made created a little modification and the clay had a mind of its own. The final step was to widen the hole into the shape of a bowl by pulling my thumbs to the edge and thus pulling the clay along with it. And voila — a bowl was born! Looking around at the hundreds of bowls in the room created by college and grade school students, community members, and even people from out of state, I got chills. All of these bowls represented someone that had nothing. It wasn’t until I entered the storage room for the bowls that I took in the full impact of what was being done. Over 1,000 bowls, created over ten separate days, were lined up on tables waiting to be glazed and fired in a kiln. These bowls would then be lined up at Brickerton on Nov. 6 so that the community could see the same sight I was seeing. So that they could realize what their ten dollars was going toward.
The soup served is not placed in the empty bowl that participants choose; rather, the bowl is left empty to remind you of a life that will be saved because of your contribution. Columbus’ Empty Bowls proceeds will go toward Loaves and Fishes, Columbus’ soup kitchen, and Global Connection, a humanitarian organization in Africa.
“Buy a bowl or 10, enjoy free music and delicious soup donated by Zachary’s Restaurant and Trinity Café,” Holen said. Eat soup. End hunger. Keep the art.
Other charitable events that are happening around the Golden Triangle this season include:
West Point’s 17th Annual Adopt-A-Family.
Needy families sign up on Oct. 27 and community members can then choose a family to donate clothes, food and other items over the holiday season. Contact Rachel Pate at Renasant Bank at 495-5433 for more information. 
Tuesday: OCH blood drive. 11:30-5p.m.
Saturday: Hannah Pote 20th Annual 5K and 1 Mile Run for Education. 7 to 9 a.m.
All race proceeds will benefit the Starkville School District. Send completed applications and entry fees to: Tommy Cobb, 1203 Nottingham Road, Starkville, MS 39759
For more information, visit starkvillefoundation.org, or call Race Director Tommy Cobb at 323-4222.
Sickle Cell Walk-A-Thon, hosted by the 14th District of Bathsheba Grand Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, Prince Hall Affiliated.
7 to 8 a.m. $15 per participant. For more information, call Denise Inge at 323-7792.
Oct. 29: Habitat for Humanity Halloween Party and Costume Contest.
9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Ritz Theater in West Point. Jamie Davis and Soul Gravy will be performing. Tickets for the Halloween bash are $10, and go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 6. Some places in West Point where tickets can be purchased are Petal Pushers, Annabelle’s, The Ritz Cafe, the animal shelter and Coon’s Tattoo. In Starkville, they can be purchased at Jeweler’s Bench and Christine’s Coutoure, and in Columbus they can be purchased at Yarns Downtown and Massage by Dawn Wilbourne. The option of paying with a debit or credit card will be available.
Nov. 6: Toys for Tots.
Time to be announced. Located at Cook Elementary soccer fields located next to Heritage School. Participants can bring a toy, buy a ticket or participate in a flag football game.  Three is Fallen, a local rock band, will be playing.
Belk Fall Charity Event. Columbus’ Belk store from 6-10 a.m. 
Participating charities will have the opportunity to raise money for their organization, while ticket holders receive 20% – 70% off Belk purchases storewide, including special savings on rarely-discounted brands. Customers will also receive $5 off their purchase and the first 100 people in line will receive free Belk gift cards valued from $5-$100, with three $1,000 Belk gift cards awarded system-wide. In addition, all participating charities and schools will be automatically registered to win one of three $1,000 donations from Belk in a company-wide drawing.