Permit me a serious moment here. We at Pack Rat firmly believe that crafting for a cause is always a good idea. Using the gifts of creativity and skill for the embetterment of others is the best gift your can give anyone, including yourself. More than just giving money, when you craft something for someone in need, you get to give something of yourself. And hopefully in return you get something bigger and deeper back. Emptybowls.net is a great cause dedicated to just that. Empty bowls was started in 1990 by a Michigan school teacher as a way to get the community involved in the school’s fund raising efforts. Seventeen years later, they are still going at it strong. The basic idea for Empty Bowls is simple. The fund raisers create ceramic bowls, then serve a simple meal of soup and bread. Fund raisees or donaters come to the meal and choose a bowl to use. They get to keep their handmade treasures as a reminder that there are always Empty Bowls in the world. In exchange for a meal and the bowl, the guest gives at least the suggested minimum donation of ten dollars. The funds collected then get donated to an orgazination, any organization that fights hunger. This can range from an local organization servicing the immediate community, or an international service involved in world hunger relief. What better way to express yourself than this?