Since 2000, TrueNorth Community Services has held its signature Hunger Prevention fundraiser, Empty Bowls, to fight food insecurity and hunger in our community. This year’s fundraiser is the 25th annual Empty Bowls event we have held to help our neighbors in need.

Keep reading to learn more about the event, its history and how you can get involved to make a difference.

What is Empty Bowls?

Empty Bowls brings together compassionate community members for a simple lunch of soup and bread. Those who attend the event will also take home a hand-painted bowl as a reminder of all of the empty bowls in our community. This fundraiser works to raise funds to support TrueNorth’s Hunger Prevention programs while also building awareness of food insecurity in our community.

Unfortunately, there is a high percentage of food insecure individuals and families in Newaygo County and West Michigan in general. This is why the event is built around the symbolism of the empty bowl. By focusing on the needs of our neighbors and seeing that need represented in a hand-painted bowl, we can build awareness and support for those experiencing hunger and food insecurity.

At TrueNorth, we have volunteers, local students and artists paint the bowls which we distribute at the event. Having the community involved in the entire process of the event has helped further the reach of Empty Bowls to make each years’ event a success.

History of Empty Bowls

So, where did Empty Bowls originate from? This international grassroots movement began at Lahser High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. In 1990, John Hartom, a high school art teacher, co-founded Empty Bowls with his wife, Lisa Blackburn. They worked together to create the event to support their local food drive after learning there was a need in their district. Hartom’s students created 120 ceramic bowls to use at a simple soup luncheon fundraiser at the high school. Staff members from the school came and selected a hand-made bowl. Hartom’s students also assisted with the event.

Hartom remarks on how he and his wife closed out the first event, leading to the project’s remarkable growth:

“Lisa and I said a few words as the event was closing. We shared some hunger statistics and information about how the donation would help the organization receiving the proceeds from the event and then surprised the guests by asking them ‘to keep the bowl they had selected as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.’ The room went silent. People looked at one another, then at their bowl. Some lifted their bowl to their chest. Some people wept. Lisa and I shared a look, both stunned by the atmosphere. When we got home we declared to one another that ‘this cannot end here.’ The Empty Bowls Project was born.”

The funds raised at the dinner benefited a local food drive, but the impact of this movement has reached so many more. This Empty Bowls movement has spread across the country as hundreds of organizations hold their own events to fight food insecurity in their communities. According to Hartom, Empty Bowls events have taken place in all 50 states and in more than 20 other countries.

TrueNorth’s History

TrueNorth first started its own Empty Bowls event in 2000 by the recommendation of local art teachers who had heard about the movement. The event has grown over the years. From having celebrity bowl auctions in the early 2000’s to adding a “Stuff the Carts” donation option in 2011, where people could purchase needed items for our Food Center, the event has evolved to meet the growing needs of our community. Even during the pandemic, we continued the tradition to meet the increased need for food by having a drive-thru Empty Bowls event in 2021.

TrueNorth staff and volunteers distributing soup lunches and bowls at the 2021 Empty Bowls event.

This year, we are excited to hold two Empty Bowls events, one in Fremont and the other in Newaygo. We are also engaging with local schools for the second year by delivering soup to teachers and staff so they have an opportunity to get involved.

TrueNorth staff and volunteers packaging soup to be delivered to participating teachers and staff.

Why TrueNorth Continues the Tradition

We continue to hold our Empty Bowls soup luncheon fundraiser to meet the growing needs of our community. Food insecurity continues to be a local issue as costs rise and incomes remain the same. Take a look at the infographic below to see how we served our community in 2023 by meeting the needs of our neighbors.

How You Can Fill Our Neighbors’ Empty Bowls

You can move our neighbors forward by attending Empty Bowls. Held in early October each year, this soup luncheon fundraiser brings together community supporters to help end hunger in our community.

Event participant receiving soup from Newaygo County Law Enforcement Officers volunteering.

Tickets and sponsorships are still available to support the 2024 Empty Bowls event. All of the funds raised will support our Hunger Prevention programs, such as: on-site Food Center, Mobile Food Pantry, Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon, Senior Harvest Baskets, Weekend PowerPacks and more.

You can give our neighbors in need a hand up. Not only will your attendance help feed the hungry, but it will also give peace of mind to those who otherwise would not know where their next meal is coming from. Join us on either Thursday, October 3 at the TrueNorth Service Center in Fremont or on Friday, October 4 at the VFW Post 4249 in Newaygo. Register today to help us fight hunger, one bowl at a time.