Gulf Coast Woodturners Association

Click this image to go to Empty Bowls Houston website; includes pictures of GCWA members' involvement

For the second year in a row, GCWA members joined with Houston-area potters to make bowls for the Houston Food Bank's Empty Bowls event.  The event was held at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and the Lawndale Art Center.  For $20, diners received a simple lunch of freshly prepared soup with bread and water and then could select a bowl from the many that were donated. 

In addition to making bowls for Empty Bowls in their shops, GCWA members participated in two group sessions at the University of Houston School of Architecture shop (shown below) and at the Houston Center of Contemporary Craft (HCCC). 

Almost 300 bowls have been contributed by GCWA members for the two Empty Bowls events and helped the Houston Food Bank raise $16,500 in donations in 2005, and more than $25,000 in 2006.
 

2007 Empty Bowls Wrap-up - by Lane Bradford, 2007 GCWA Event Coordinator
Facts about the Empty Bowl event that GCWA participated in on March 3rd.
- Texas has the third highest rate of food insecurity in the nation: 16% (11% nationwide)
- 80,000 people receive food assistance each week
- 44%, or 35,200 are children under 18
- 77% are U.S. citizens
- 498,800 individuals need assistance with food each year in Houston and throughout Southeast Texas.
- The bowls donated by GCWA members earned enough money for the Houston Food Bank to feed a family of 4 for 7 years!
- The bowls donated by GCWA members earned enough money for the Houston Food Bank to purchase 15,000 pounds of food!!!
- The members of GCWA donated 103 bowls that sold for between $25 and $150 each!

Those who signed their donations where:
- Kevin Turco - 19 bowls
- Don Fluker - 10 bowls
- Bill Pottorf - 10 bowls with the help of his wife
- Tom Orton
- By Reed
- Larry Zarra - highest price for a bowl
- Luna Ford
- Gene Bradley
- Doug Grissom
- John King
- Randall Hassig
- Mack DeBose
- David Welch
- Tom Sayre
- Andrew Chen
- Greg Gonsalves
- Bill Berry
- There were also 9 unsigned bowls.

The following people spent Saturday at the event at the HCCC doing demonstrations and selling every bowl they could turn.
- Bill Berry
- Luna Ford
- Greg Gonsalves
- Bill Pottorf, and his wife Diana
- Doug Grissom
- Barbra Gaynor
- Don Fluker

Pictures from the 2007 Empty Bowls Event

Setting up the lathes at the Center for Contemporary Craft	Getting ready to make some shavings	A view from the roof of the CCC
Bill Berry getting ready do do his thing	Nice shirt, Luna!	Don Fluker and his famous Red Devil Mini-Lathe!
An overview of the many bowls offered at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft	At the Empty Bowls event, everyone gets into the act and the potters do more than their fair share of the work	A sampling of some of the offered bowls at the 2007 event.