UCLA Yummy Bowl Benefit raises over $13,000 for campus food closet

Every spring for the past five years, crowds have gathered outside the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Center on UCLA's campus - like they did on May 21 - to choose from hundreds of colorful handmade bowls and enjoy a delicious meal.

The Yummy Bowl Benefit, hosted by the UCLA Department of Art and its ceramics area, was created by professors Candice Lin and Anna Sew Hoy. In 2021, the two artists launched the inaugural fundraiser after learning that more than 40% of UC students reported experiencing food insecurity. One hundred percent of the benefit's proceeds go directly to the UCLA Community Programs Office (CPO) Food Closet.

"It is wonderful to see the different departments come together for a common purpose in support of the CPO Food Closet," said Iyanna Waring, CPO's associate basic and essential needs manager and CalFresh manager. "We are grateful to the departments and organizers of the Yummy Bowl Benefit, as well as the students, staff, faculty and alumni who participate. It is inspiring to see how art, community and advocacy can come together to support students and their basic needs."

Established in 2009, the CPO Food Closet is the first food pantry in the UC system and has been instrumental in bringing national attention to basic needs on university campuses. The CPO has recently expanded its CPO food carts across campus and plans to continue growing the program to increase access to food resources.

"Yummy Bowl has become an event that connects other parts of campus with the UCLA Department of Art and the CPO Food Closet, while also raising awareness about food justice," said Sew Hoy. "Part of our mission in the ceramics area is to create opportunities for collaboration, reflecting the way the practice itself requires people to work together."

With a donation, Yummy Bowl attendees can select any bowl. This year, each bowl was filled with porridge prepared by Michelin-star chef Minh H. Phan and PoCo.

Months of preparation go into each year's fundraiser. Leading up to the event, the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture community gathers for a bowl-making marathon in the ceramics area. Participants - including alumni, students, staff, and faculty - use pottery wheels, slab- and coil-building techniques and a variety of glazes to create one-of-a-kind bowls.

"Yummy Bowl is one of those days I eagerly look forward to each year," said Roksana Pirouzmand, an artist and alumna of UCLA's art department. "Coming back to UCLA, reuniting with teachers and friends, sharing a meal in a handmade bowl and, most importantly, supporting such a good cause, is always incredibly meaningful."

All the hard work paid off: This year's benefit raised $13,599. Over the past five years, the event has raised more than $57,000 for the CPO Food Closet and remains one of UCLA Arts' most popular annual events.