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 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 from slab or glazing a bowls! Details arriving soon.
Part Two: Community Meal experience! Tickets to attend the community meal are available for $35 per guest over 5! Every paid guest enjoys unlimited 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 15, 2026
- Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 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 needed to ensure the success of Empty Bowls! Your support is crucial so that we can meet the needs of surrounding food insecure families. Please consider a donation or a sponsorship to Empty Bowls!
You missed out!
The Union County EMPTY BOWLS Project community experience of *art and a shared meal is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for hunger. The 2026 community meal will take place at the Memorial Hospital In-Patient Pavilion's renowned Bistro '52 on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Lunch service starts at 11:00 AM, with the final seating at 1:00 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 unlimited gourmet bowl of soup, homemade bread, and dessert while mingling with other community members committed to this crucial cause.
*An exclusive studio experience to work with clay, is being offered by our community partners at Crooked Door Studio where Crooked Clay instructors volunteer their time and talent.
1) Purchase a ticket Join us in the studio or only for the meal. Take a walk on the creative side and purchase a ticket to create or paint your own bowl at *Crooked Door Studio in Marysville on selected Sundays. No prior ceramics experience is needed! Bring a group for a win-win impact! Share teambuilding time, laughs and fellowship while doing good to feed our community. This is an exclusive experience at the studio with private instruction!
2) Arrive at Crooked Door Studio Tami, owner of Crooked Clay will guide you through the building and 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.
See more details in the HOW IT WORKS section below.
3) Join us on March 15th 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!
1) If you purchased an exclusive experience with Crooked Clay, READ ON, please.
There are limited dates and seats for the experience at Crooked Door Studio instructed by Crooked Clay. If you're building a bowl, you must attend two sessions in the same month. On the *glazing/painting day, 4 additional participants (10 total) may attend to glaze a bisque bowl that will be provided.
October
Sunday 5th (building - 6 participants max)
*Sunday 19th (glazing day only)
November
Sunday 2nd (building - 6 participants max)
*Sunday 16th (glazing day only)
January
Sunday 4th (building - 6 participants max)
*Sunday 18th (glazing day only)
February
Sunday 8th (building - 6 participants max)
*Sunday 22nd (glazing day only)
2) If you're a ceramic artist or classroom teacher who plans to throw clay for us into bowls, here are the bowl requirements:
-Minimum Capacity: 9 ounces
-Material: Stoneware clay, a strong and durable ceramic material.
-Firing: Fired to vitrification, which means they have been fired to a temperature at which the clay body becomes dense, non-porous, and water-tight, even without glaze.
What is Vitrified Clay?
A vitrified clay body is one that has been fired to a high enough temperature that the clay particles melt and fuse together, eliminating porosity. This results in a durable, water-tight surface that is ideal for functional ware like bowls, mugs, and plates. Stoneware typically vitrifies at cone 5–10 (approximately 2167°F–2345°F).
Vitrified stoneware bowls are essential to ensure the pieces are safe for use with food and liquids, and can withstand regular use and washing.
3) Join us on March 15th 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.
In 2025, we are thankful to the businesses and organizations below that made in-kind donations or provided funds to fight hunger. There is room at the table for plenty more sponsors in 2026. Help us to create, cook and commune together while lifting awareness for hunger throughout the region.
