Empty Bowls

Filling the needs of County youth

The ROC’s annual Empty Bowls fundraiser will take place on Thursday, May 5 from noon to 6 p.m. Only 200 tickets, at $50 each, are available for this event, and they are selling quickly. Ticket holders will get a takeout meal of a bowl of soup, fresh bread and dessert prepared and donated by 18 local restaurants and chefs, including the Royal Hotel, Lily’s, Flame+Smith, My Pies and Chef Michael Hoy. The soup will be served in a stoneware bowl, handmade by Dawn Middleton and Pippa Samsworth of The Ye11ow Studio. They are making and donating all 200 of these bowls over the next few weeks, and ticket purchasers will get to keep their bowls. “The bowl is intended to serve as a tender reminder of the vital role that youth play in the community,” said Megan Hutton, who recently took on the role of Administration and Communications Officer for the ROC Youth Centre. “They did an Empty Bowls fundraiser in December 2020 and it was a sold-out event and really well received by the community. So fifty dollars not only gets you a takeout meal, but it’s giving you a really nice keepsake for the fundraiser.” The ROC has a fundraising goal of $30,000 this year, and all of that money will go to provide barrier-free programming for youth ages 12 to 18. These include after-school programming, workshops and life-training skills. “We have seen a growing need in the community. Over the past couple of years a lot of the youth have become disengaged and mental health [problems] are on the rise,” said Hutton. “The need is growing so much. Every dollar that is raised in this campaign is going to go directly to the youth and really make a difference in a lot of kids’ lives.”

Last year, about 375 youth became members in ROC. The programming starts with the 12- and 13-year-olds in the Club 7/8. They take part in activities such as guided biking and hiking, bingo, workshops—including pottery making led by Dawn Middleton—learning life skills and getting the resources to help them transition to high school. Older youth also have the opportunity to learn life skills and share in social time as well as being provided with educational support. “One of the biggest programs we offer is called the Youth Inclusion Program (YIP), and it is a lot of one-on-one counselling and mentoring, and a direct connection with resources regarding homelessness. There’s been a lot of heavy stuff over the past year or two.” One of the more popular programs has been the provision of County Care Kits. These kits contain frozen meals, hygiene kits as well as food and snack packs. These kits were delivered to youth by ROC staff and it was a way to maintain a personal connection, particularly during the lockdown phases. “Seventy per cent of youth registered for the care kits are from low-income families, and of those about 40 per cent are in extreme poverty. Food security has become one of our biggest things right now. In 2021 we gave out over 500 of those care kits,” said Hutton.

The ROC continues to provide support to County youth, and staff regularly receive feedback on just how important their help as been. “You helped me to not quit school. I thought I knew everything I should, but you helped me get through the last two grades. You explained how important the past two grades were to me and what life could look like if I graduate.” wrote one young person. Another wrote “Anytime I do anything with YIP, I feel safe and respected and like nothing is too small or too big to talk about. I feel like every meeting I have, I’m making progress on myself. Now thanks to the ROC, I am able to admit that I’m making an impact and I have newly found confidence in myself.”

Megan Hutton is no stranger to the ROC. She attended programming when she was in high school, and as an adult she has been a long-time volunteer, so when the position of Administration and Communications Officer was advertised she applied immediately. “Throughout the pandemic I saw how hard they were working to continue to engage youth, and it really inspired me. I really love the ROC and I really believe in the youth programming and services they provide,” she said. “It’s more than just being a recreation centre. It’s the outreach. We have youth that rely on the ROC for support and who say it’s an essential part of them living here in Prince Edward County. I really see the next generation of youth as having the mindset to change the world, and I want to support them.” All County youth are encouraged to take part in ROC programs. For more information or to buy tickets for the Empty Bowls fundraiser, please visit theroc.ca

Dawn Middleton makes one of the bowls that will be used for the ROC’s Empty Bowl’s fundraiser.