UNION COUNTY EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT
In Ohio, 1 in 5 children do not know where their next meal will come from.
You can make an impact and demonstrate your commitment to solve hunger.
Put simply, hunger’s toll can be life-altering. Food insecurity is associated with 40 serious health conditions in children, adults, and seniors as well as adverse social outcomes. Lack of access to food is considered a critical public health issue. Key drivers of food insecurity include unemployment, poverty, and income shocks. The food insecurity rate in Ohio hovers around 14.1%. The Mid-Ohio Food Bank reports 119,000 (19.7%) children in District 12 (most in central Ohio) are food insecure.
Join us for the inaugural Union County Empty Bowls Project, where your commitment to fighting hunger is symbolized by a hand-glazed stoneware bowl and a seat at our table, where you can savor chef-prepared gourmet soup, homemade bread, and dessert. The primary goal of Empty Bowls is to raise funds for local food charities and to create awareness about poverty and hunger. The artisan stoneware bowls are yours to keep! In Empty Bowls communities worldwide, these bowls have become cherished collector’s items.
The Union County Empty Bowls Project aims to cultivate a community that values the importance of caring for one another. By combining the therapeutic benefits of the arts with the joy of creative cooking, the Empty Bowls Project offers a multifaceted event with lasting impacts.
Clay, Culinary, Community—these are the three pillars of the Union County Empty Bowls Project.
We are enlisting chefs and bakers to prepare delicious meals, alongside local potters, artists, community leaders, students, and volunteers who will create beautifully glazed bowls. Both the food and the bowls play a vital role in raising money and awareness in the fight against hunger. We invite community groups, couples, and individuals to register in advance to glaze stoneware bowls, whether to donate to the meal or to keep for themselves.
Part One: Creating a bowls! Fortunately as of January 16, the community and our schools came out en mass to create bowls! We have enough bowls for our first year!
Part Two: Community Meal experience! Tickets to attend the community meal are available for $20! Every paid guest enjoys gourmet soup, bread and a dessert as well as chooses a hand-crafted bowl to keep as a remembrance of those hungry locally and that they did their part by attending Empty Bowls!
- Date: Sunday, March 16, 2025
- Time: 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
- Location: Bistro ’52, First Floor, Inpatient Pavilion, Memorial Hospital, 500 London Ave, Marysville, Ohio 43040
To purchase a seat for the community meal and/or to sponsor, click the Learn more button and then the orange purchase button on the top right of the page!
Sponsors and donors are still needed to ensure the success of Empty Bowls! Your support is crucial so that we can meet the needs of our students in area districts who do not have provisions on the weekend in their homes. These programs are Blessings in a Backpack, and food pantries/lockers at the middle and high schools. Extra resources will then go to provide meals at the emergency homeless shelter. Please consider a donation or a sponsorship to Empty Bowls!
You missed out!
Beneficiaries of event net proceeds are listed below!
Blessings in a Backpack (North Union, Fairbanks, Marysville), Middle/HS Food Pantries, Impact Station
The EMPTY BOWLS Project community meal, dedicated to raising awareness and funds for hunger, will take place at the Memorial Hospital In-Patient Pavilion's renowned Bistro '52 on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Lunch service starts at 11:00 AM, with the final seating at 1:30 PM.
Each ticketed guest will choose a stoneware bowl from our collection to keep as a symbol of their support for hunger awareness. Attendees will enjoy a gourmet bowl of soup, homemade bread, and dessert while mingling with other community members committed to this crucial cause. For an additional $5.00, you can add another bowl of soup, and there will also be a selection of extra desserts available for purchase.
1) Purchase an experience ticket and Crooked Door Studio (or another partner) will reach out to schedule your studio time. No prior ceramics experience is needed! Don't forget to bring a group for a win-win impact! Share teambuilding time, laughs and fellowship while doing good to feed our community.
2) Arrive at Crooked Door Studio or at one of our other partner locations! Our experts will guide you through the glazing process to help you express your creativity. Each studio session lasts about 2-3 hours. This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause and raise awareness about local hunger issues.
3) Join us on March 16th for the community meal at Bistro '52 where we will have your beautiful bowl on display and waiting for you! Gourmet soup, crusty bread and dessert along with conversation awaits. This Clay to Culinary to Community hunger fundraiser is a one of a kind experience to fill bowls and bellies!
Sponsors are needed! Click Here to check out the opportunities.
We are thankful to the businesses and organizations below that are making in-kind donations or providing funds to fight hunger. There is room at the table for plenty more sponsors. Help us to create, cook and commune together while lifting awareness for hunger throughout the region.
