The Ohio Northern University Department of Art and Design will hold its fourth annual Artists against Hunger luncheon in the Wilson Art Gallery on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m.

The Artists Against Hunger luncheon offers the community an opportunity to give back in exchange for a lunch and a handcrafted ceramic bowl made by students from Ohio Northern University and Hardin County schools. The bowls will be filled with one of a variety of soups, including minestrone, chicken noodle, butternut squash and chili.

Each bowl will be $10, and all proceeds will go to the Hardin County Backpack Program. In addition to lunch and the choice of a one-of-a-kind bowl, the community will be encouraged to participate in a weeklong food drive, during which non-perishable food items can be donated at various locations on ONU’s campus.

Mayumi Kiefer, studio arts student at Ohio Northern, founded the event three years ago in order to combine her two passions of helping others and creating art. The event raised approximately $1,100 in its debut, and, last year, $2,000 was donated to the Backpack Program.

The Backpack Program seeks to eliminate hunger on weekends for students in school districts by providing the students with non-perishable foods in backpacks.   Backpacks are discreetly distributed to deserving students (in easily accessible and safe environments) on the last day prior to a weekend or holiday vacation.

In Hardin County, the program aims to help the 15.8 percent of the population that lives below the poverty line. In Kenton City Schools alone, 51 percent of students receive free or reduced lunches. Currently, there are 130 students at Kenton who are recipients of the Backpack Program.

Link:  http://www.onu.edu/node/54153

Ohio Northern University’s quality, student-centered education distinctively combines nationally ranked sciences, arts and professional programs for more than 3,600 students in its five colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, Pharmacy and Law.