A hungry person sees little beauty in an empty bowl.

That symbolism of hunger, the empty bowl, has meaning for creators of beautiful vessels at the Natchez pottery studio of Conner Burns.

On Feb. 18, the potters will donate 300 bowls at an event that promotes awareness of the poor and hungry in the world. Aptly named “Empty Bowls,” the event will also raise funds to go to the Natchez Community Stewpot.

“Last time we raised about $8,500,” said Edna Ferguson, one of the potters and an organizer of the event.

“We make a minimum of 20 bowls each to donate,” Ferguson said. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the day of the event, ticket-holders will come to the studio, select their bowls, eat homemade gumbo from their bowls and take the bowls home with them.

For potter Connie Murray, the Empty Bowls program is an opportunity to do something for the community in a unique, creative way.

An art teacher for 16 years, she always had wanted to learn to work in clay but had no opportunity until recently. “I love to see the beautiful bowl come from a lump of clay,” she said.

Preparing 300 bowls is no easy task. It takes time, said Amanda Jeansonne, chairman of the event. “We have 280 bowls ready to go and about 200 more ready to glaze,” she said.

Like Murray, Jeansonne is new to the art of pottery but has found it satisfying.

“Pottery has been such a gift for me,” she said. “To use that gift to benefit others is just a tremendous experience.”

Tickets are available at $25 each, including the meal of gumbo and cornbread and the bowl. Tickets are available on Saturdays, 1 to 5 p.m., at the studio, 209 Franklin St.

“Last time we sold out,” Ferguson said.

This year, bowls are more diverse and interesting, Jeansonne said. “We all have developed out own style now, with individual expressions in our bowls. It should be a treat for people to pick out their bowls.”

Natalie Harris and her son, Brad Harris, work often at the studio, sometimes four times a week, she said.

“I’ve always been interested in pottery,” she said. “Last year at Empty Bowls I had two bowls to contribute. This year, I’ll have 26 and Brad will have 23.”

Brad Harris, a 10th-grader who is home schooled, has used the pottery experience for credit toward fine arts. “I saw the process and wanted to see if I could do it,” he said. “It’s been fun to experiment.”

Most important is the end result of the Empty Bowls event – the funds raised for the Stewpot, Ferguson said. “That’s the reason we do it,” she said. “And everyone who comes gets wonderful gumbo and gets to take a bowl home, too.”

Ferguson shared this story from “The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” by Alan Cohen:

“A man left this earth and was taken on a tour of the inner realms.

“He was shown a room where he saw a large group of hungry people trying to eat dinner, but because the spoons were longer than their arms, they remained frustrated.

“The guide told the man ‘this is Hell.’ The man then said, ‘Well, please show me Heaven.’

“The guide agreed. When they opened heaven’s door, the man was perplexed to see what looked very much like the same scene — people with spoons longer than their arms.

“As he looked closely, however, the man saw that everyone was smiling and well fed.

“There was one important difference in Heaven. The people had learned to feed each other.”