Kathleen Garrant

Thirty four million Americans – including nine million children -– experience hunger each day. As a School Nutritionist for twenty-two years, I observed hungry children running from the bus to the school cafeteria, each morning, for their first bite of breakfast and it always tugged at my heart strings. Now, as a volunteer, I regularly observe adults picking up food at an inner-city food cupboard and it continues to pull the strings of my heart.

Like air and water, everyone should have access to food. Yet so many people struggle to find nourishment. Uncertainty, chaos, and confusion surfaces when hunger blocks thinking. For individuals, and families, a large part of each day is taken up with worry as to how – or if – their bowls will be filled. We are a country with a food surplus, but we do not feed all our citizens.

My belief is that ART can change the world by raising awareness of the hard truths faced by the hungry. My journey to find a way to share what I know began with a request that other artists make an empty bowl on a 6”x 6” square of fabric. Many quilters and fiber artists from around the United States responded

I received eighty-six beautifully stitched and painted empty bowls. As you can see, the old saying that “there is power in numbers” came true. My project is a collaboration with a community of creatives who share my passion about the injustice of hunger. Each artist unleashed energy as their hands stitched and painted and their awareness grew.

I encourage you to join in: any empty bowl images received in the future will be added to the piece you see. My hope is that awareness of hunger in our country will be shared so we can change the future for anyone challenged by food insecurity.

Empty Bowls 2022 72” x 66” NFS kmgarrant1006@gmail.com