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Potter's Wheel fills empty bowls

Photo provided by Terrie McNamara

Sun City Center's potters created 300 works for charity.

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By LAURA CONE

THE SUN

Published: October 7, 2009

Two members of the Sun City Center Potter's Wheel Club churned out 300 bowls for the annual Empty Bowls charity event.

Vice presidents Bill Roberts and Terrie McNamara dedicated themselves to a work schedule to produce the bowls which will be sold to support the Meals on Wheels program in Manatee County.

Roberts, who has been making pottery for 30 years, said the two are considered "high-production potters."

"We made them on the potter's wheel," he said. "Each bowl is completely different with artistic designs. Each one is glazed with a variety of colors. They are really artistic bowls rather than commercial bowls."

They are donating the bowls for the 9th annual Empty Bowls charity luncheon that will take place Oct. 15 at the Renaissance Senior Enrichment Center, 1916 9th St. W., Bradenton, and Oct. 16 on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch. The lunches will take place between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each day.

During the event, volunteers fill the handmade bowls with soup donated by area restaurants. After the soup is consumed, volunteers wash the bowls and give them to participants to take home. The bowls are supposed to remind people that someone's bowl is always empty, and that they helped fill those empty bowls.

Roberts said people do not need to travel to Bradenton to help with the Empty Bowls project. The club will have a viewing of the bowls at the Pottery Wheel club by the outdoor pool and atrium in SCC on Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon.

"People can come in and buy the bowls and the money will go to the charity," said Roberts, who used to teach pottery and art classes at the college of Idaho.

Roberts has been a part of the club in SCC for seven years.

"We think it's a good project," he said. "We also have some interests in seeing if we can do a few more things for groups in Sun City Center - maybe even start a bowls project here."

Six years ago, Roberts' fellow club member Sally Cika put a ball of clay in her hands and discovered a craft that gave her the feeling that she could create anything she could image.

"You can make anything in the world you can think of," said Cika, the president of the SCC Potter's Wheel Club.

Cika said the club has six wheels and three kilns. Some members use the hand-building method while others use the wheels to sculpt. She said pottery classes start in January.

"It's very creative," she said. "We make it and create it in pottery."

She was proud of the group for taking part in the charity for the third year in a row.

"It was an ideal charity for us because we make pottery," Cika said.

The Food Bank of Manatee distributed more than 2 million pounds of food last year to needy people in Manatee County. The Food Bank agency membership consists of 110 pantries, soup kitchens, and meal programs service needy children and adults.

Cost of the bowls is a $20 donation.

For more information, call Terrie McNamara at (813) 633-8413.

Editor Laura Cone may be reached at lcone@mediageneral.com.

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