by Abigail Megginson
When it comes to giving back to the community, being creative can always help the cause. The Manna Pick-A-Bowl event at PSC takes fundraiser creativity to a whole new level.
This Friday, November 14, the Pensacola State College art building (Bldg. 15) will host a fundraiser for Manna. With a donation of $30.00, each person will be able to pick out any handmade ceramic bowl they like and also receive a boxed lunch including a wrap, chips, fruit, and a drink.
However, Pick-A-Bowl was not always the name of the event. The first two years were called Throw-A-Bowl where people could come in and throw (work with wet clay on the pottery wheel) and make a bowl. Then, the person’s name, phone number, and the color they wanted would be tagged on the item.
The first year, 250 people showed up with 500 attending the next year. Eventually, it became too much to put in the oven with the other students and potters who needed to fire their own projects.
Now the event has been changed to Pick-A-Bowl where people can come in and watch potters throwing. The throwing will be in the ceramics studio and the bowls to purchase will be set up in the sculpture room. Any bowl can be chosen with a donation of $30.00 or more.
Other attractions include the McCurry art gallery and a jazz band from PSC. Potters can be seen throwing in the ceramics studio and those watching are more than welcome to ask questions. There will be other food including barbecue and a chocolate fountain. In addition, there will be a show in the gallery.
The event will be located in Bldg. 15 on the Pensacola campus. The event will be open in the morning from 11:00-2:00 and again in the evening from 5:00-8:00.
There will be about 1400 bowls to choose from. Who makes all these bowls? Bill Clover, a 50 year ceramic teacher at PSC, does. Each year he makes about 1000 bowls and about 8 ceramic students contribute another 400 bowls to the cause.
This year, Clover says he is hoping for over 500 people to attend the event. Last year between Pick-A-Bowl and Fill-A-Bowl (another fundraiser), they raised a total of $45,000 to give to Manna. They are hoping for more success this year so they are able to feed more people than ever before.