Annandale-based artist Susan Fox Hirshmann enjoys creating art and sharing her knowledge with others to help them develop their own creative style. A working artist, she also teaches several individual and group pottery classes per week. She says she enjoys sharing her talent by donating her work to help others. For the past five years, she has donated handcrafted bowls and other art pottery pieces to Our Daily Bread’s annual Empty Bowls events so that her work can benefit her neighbors in need.

This year Susan inspired 13-year-old Stephen Shaffran, who she has been teaching for four years, to create bowls for Empty Bowls as well. He is working on seven bowls to donate to the event, and is looking forward to attending with his parents. The seventh-grader from Frost Middle School has participated in giving projects through his school and he makes sandwiches with his church youth group and distributes them to the homeless in Washington, D.C. He is excited about the prospect of being able to give to others in his community through his art.

Stephen said that he wants the people who select his bowls at Empty Bowls “to know I made them out of love. I want people to enjoy them.” Stephen added that he was not surprised that there are needy people in Fairfax County, “Wherever you go, there is always going to be someone who needs help.” He said he is glad to be able to help where he can.

Susan said, “As a potter, I feel this is my own special way, using that which I love – working in clay – to give to others. I have shared those feelings with my students and am excited that Stephen chose to create bowls for this fundraiser as a good part of his winter pottery class session.”

Our Daily Bread’s Executive Director Lisa Whetzel said, “Our Daily Bread is so grateful to Susan for her on-going support of our Empty Bowls event and to both Susan and Stephen for sharing their creations with us in hopes of making life better for others in our community. When we decided to have our first Empty Bowls event in 2009, we were looking for new ways to help more people understand that hunger and need are very near us here in wealthy Fairfax County, and we wanted to create a joyful opportunity for people to give. As we’ve organized each of these events, it has been exciting to see how community members have come together and given of their time and talents because they care about their neighbors in need and they want to do more. We are honored that Susan, Stephen and all the artists, restaurateurs and community members in general are sharing their time, talent and creations with us in hopes of helping our neediest neighbors succeed. We are especially pleased that Susan is encouraging a new generation to give back to the community. This event is possible only because of the generosity of our volunteers and supporters.”

In addition to Susan Fox Hirschmann and Stephen Shaffran’s work, Our Daily Bread’s Empty Bowls event will feature bowls contributed by a variety of local artists, art students from local high schools and community members who have painted bowls through special offers at Clay Café Studios Chantilly and Color Me Mine in Fairfax.

Our Daily Bread’s 5^th Annual Empty Bowls Event is on February 28, 6-8:30 p.m. at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center (3740 Old Lee Hwy in Fairfax City).

CLICK HERE to Register

Our Daily Bread 2013 Empty Bowls Event Sponsors and Supporters

Bowl Artists

• Annandale High School
• Clay Café Studio of Chantilly
• Color Me Mine of Fairfax
• Keith Conway
• Susan Fox Hirschmann Art Pottery
• James Madison High School National Arts Honor Society Students
• Connie Maier
• Marshall High School Octagon Club
• Maruja Ubelaker – Mu Pottery
• Stephen Shaffran
• Shark Tank Racing Squad Swimmers
• South County High School
• The Baking Squad, Herndon
• Jack Weyant
• Westfield High School

Sponsors

• The Democratic Women of Clifton
• Cooley LLP
• Apple Federal Credit Union
• Edelman Financial Services
• Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
• Virginia Commerce Bank
• Jim and Mary Shaffran

Restaurants and Food Providers

Soup

• Choices by Shawn
• Dolce Vita - Fairfax
• Hard Times Café Fairfax
• Piero’s Corner Ristorante Italiano
• Zoë’s Kitchen - Fairfax

Bread

• Great Harvest Bread Burke

Dessert

• Chantel’s Love at First Bite Bakery
• The Baking Squad, Herndon

Other Event Supporters

• Photography by Hernan Vargas
• Music by Fairfax Saxophone Quartet
• Face Painting by Julia Choe, Young's Cleaners
• Balloon Art by Martha Ades
• Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
• Whole Foods Market Vienna