WALDOBORO – Medomak Valley High School held its 15th annual Empty Bowl Supper on Wednesday, March 28, in the school cafeteria. Students in the art classes had been busy making approximately 200 ceramic bowls that the public purchased

The annual celebration goes like this: Fill the bowl along the buffet line with your choice of 15 soups and stews, pasta or salads. Wash the bowl when you're finished and take it home with you.

Brooke Holland is an art teacher at Medomak and was directly involved with the bowls and dinner.

"The empty bowl was started here at the school, although it's a national program that is in many high schools and communities," she said. "It was started here by Ms. Baker and one of her students 15 years ago."

Holland said the purpose was for the students to build bowls and learn about food insecurity.

"It's their way of giving back," she said. "It's a community service event. The students volunteer their time and they craft the bowls. We sell the bowls and the money goes back to our local food pantries."

Holland said the students began working on the bowls about a month and a half ago.

"We kept firing bowls until last night," she said. "I think we made about 200 bowls."

Krisanne Baker, also an art teacher at the school, said the leftover food and bowls are passed along to the school's teachers because so many of them could not attend.

"We put it in the teacher's room with a sign," she said. "That will be their lunch for the next couple of days. They buy a bowl and over the next couple of days we usually wind up making a couple of hundred dollars more."

Baker said they coordinate the dinner with the school's band so people can come have dinner and then enjoy a concert afterwards.

Peter Stuart, music director at Medomak Valley said the concert following the supper was going to be a lot of fun.

"We got some great music," he said. "The Concert Band is playing a variety of pieces and some newer pieces for us. Following the concert band the jazz band will be playing several numbers and we'll feature a vocalist too."

Stuart said the concert will last about two hours.

"Were really proud of the music program here," he said. "We have some really strong students here and they are fantastic students. They make my job a little easier and make me enjoy coming to work every day."