Empty Bowls “is a grassroots movement by artists and crafts people in cities and towns around the world to raise money for food related charities to care for and feed the hungry in their communities. 

Empty Bowls supports food-related charitable organizations around the world, and has raised millions of dollars to help end hunger.” (emptybowls.com)

In 2024 community members coordinated and supported the first Empty Bowls Townshend event. Close to $1000 was raised in one evening with all proceeds going to the Townshend Community Food Shelf in Townshend, Vermont. West River Community Project, Bread from the Earth and Bob Ray & Friends teamed up with area potters, both amateur and professional, to provide a wonderful selection of bowls for those attending to select from. A simple soup meal, an evening of entertainment and a pause of reflection for those in need rounded out a cold winter evening.

2024

Empty Bowls

Townshend

Photos

Townshend Church, location for ‘25 EB Townshend Event in Townshend, Vermont

Save the date for Thursday, February 27th from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Townshend Church on the Commons in Townshend, Vermont. This building also houses the Townshend Community Food Shelf so event attendees will get a peek at what goes on at this worthy and vital local nonprofit that supplies food for those in need in the Townshend area. Reservations begin online on February 1st.

Food pantry volunteer and board member Kathy Squires is coordinating the Empty Bowls Townshend simple soup meal this year. Joe Winrich, treasurer of Townshend Community Food Shelf, oversees donation acknowledgments and distribution of funds to supply the food pantry. Anna Jennings, who brought the Empty Bowls initiative to Townshend in 2024, continues to organize bowl donations and create promotional material for 2025.

Local artisans donating bowls for the event include Leland and Gray art students and their teacher Em Mulcrone, the many community members and WOOFers who handbuild and use the wheels at Meadows Bees Ceramics Studio (Leigh Merinoff), Rising Forest Pottery (Theresa Hall), Maya Zelker in Shrewsbury, Lasser Ceramics in Londonderry, Masterman Ceramics (Jodie Masterman) and Brittany Frost of Killer B/Thee Bees Knees Pottery.

Thank you, all!

Be in touch if you are interested in coordinating

Empty Bowls Townshend for 2026!