Empty Bowls 2026
Our annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser is coming up on November 12, 2026, and we’re already getting ready for another meaningful day in our community.
Empty Bowls brings people together to enjoy a meal, choose a one-of-a-kind bowl, and support the work of In His Name–Colleton. Funds raised help provide meals, hygiene items, pantry support, and case management services to neighbors in need throughout the year.
There are many ways to be part of Empty Bowls, including sponsoring, volunteering, donating, creating bowls, and attending the event.
More details and ways to get involved will be shared as we get closer to the event. Check back here or follow us on social media for updates!
“Empty Bowls” is an international project to fight hunger, personalized by artists and art organizations on a community level. The core purpose of Empty Bowls is to raise funds for local food charities and educate people about issues of poverty and hunger in their community.
Empty Bowls started in the early 1990s when Lisa Blackburn and John Hartom decided to do something to counteract the negative news about hunger and poverty in their town in Michigan. John, a high-school ceramics teacher, challenged his students to throw 120 bowls which they used at the first Empty Bowls luncheon held at the school, charging $5 per bowl to raise funds to fight hunger. The event was a success and right away people began duplicating it all over the country and, eventually, all over the world.
Thirty years later, empty bowls are filled all around the world to help fight hunger. “It's not a lack of food, the problem is food distribution.” – John Hartom