Buying bowls, filling bowls and saving bowls.

Slippery Rock University students helped fund the campus food bank on Friday afternoon when the Student Government Association partnered with the Potter's Guild to host an Empty Bowls dinner in the Smith Student Center Ballroom.

“A student is already stressed out enough; they shouldn't need to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Erin O'Connor, an SRU graduate student. “I think that this is a unique way to educate people on this.”

At the event, students, faculty, staff and community members purchased bowls handcrafted by members of the Potter's Guild, along with soup and bread.

SGA member Elizabeth Hernandez manages Bob's Market, the SRU food bank named after Bob Macoskey.

Hernandez said soup and bread were served intentionally at the event to imitate the basic conditions of those suffering from food insecurity.

“This will really give us a kick start for self-sustaining our pantry,” she said.

The bowls ranged in price from $5 to $20, depending on size, design and time spent on the work.

Assistant Professor Tricia Bishop, adviser for the Potter's Guild, said the bowls are created by students who are trained in both functional and sculptural art.

“They're trained to hand-build and trained on the potter's wheel,” she said.

Bishop, who was an international student, said she experienced food insecurity herself when she was a student on campus.

She said food challenges can arise from students who don't qualify for grants and financial aid. She said students' needs are calculated based on their family's income, but their families are not always supporting them.

“I understood that concept very well from being a student,” she said. “We never went hungry, but we were on a tight budget.”

Food insecurity is a problem SRU shares with colleges and universities across the nation. In fact, a recent study revealed that the problem is widespread, pointing out that more than 650 food pantries were either open or in development on campuses nationwide.

After analyzing 29 studies based on campus surveys, researchers with the federal Government Accountability Office reported that the estimates of food insecurity among college students ranges from 9 percent to more than 50 percent. In addition to linking food insecurity with students who come from low-income households, the report suggests there are three common risk factors for food insecurity, including single parenthood, being a first-generation student, and receiving food stamps. According to the report, 57 percent of potentially eligible low-income students facing food insecurity in 2016 didn't participate in food-relief programs despite their eligibility.

Olivia Kass, an SRU senior who has volunteered at food pantries before, said it feels like common sense to feed the hungry.

“If you can't help someone directly, it's nice to help indirectly,” Kass said. “Whatever you can do in a small way, it's important.”

Hernandez said SRU was 10th among the PASSHE system's 14 colleges and universities to establish a campus food pantry for students. She added that the need is there.

“Our goal is to try to get people to understand that people do suffer from food insecurity and that for some people, college students included, this kind of meager dinner is normal and happens every day,” Hernandez said.

O'Connor said the food pantry made great strides since SGA took the initiative.

Khalil Harper, an SRU junior, pointed out that some of the problem exists because students lack transportation, adding that a lot of undergraduates don't have cars.

Larissa Goering, an SRU senior, said food insecurity has been normalized by many students. She said many students will skip dinners and go to bed hungry.

“That's a common thing, 'Oh I'll just sleep for dinner,'” Goering said.

A study by the University of Pittsburgh reported on levels of food insecurity across 11 colleges.A few notable colleges showed percentages of students reporting moderate or high food insecurity:- Carnegie Mellon University, 19 percent- University of Pittsburgh, 27 percent- Duquesne University, 28 percent- Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 37 percent- California University of Pennsylvania, 43 percent- Point Park University, 44 percent