Empty Bowls Wilmington

03/16/2026

🥣 Thank You for Filling Empty Bowls!

Our hearts are full of gratitude after another incredible Empty Bowls.

This event, which began as a simple idea of sharing a bowl of soup to raise awareness and support for neighbors facing hunger, truly comes to life because of the generosity of this community.

To our sponsors, thank you for your extraordinary support and for showing that our community truly cares. Your partnership helps ensure the soup kitchen at Good Shepherd Center and the food pantry at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard can continue providing consistent meals and groceries for neighbors facing food insecurity.

To the local restaurants that donated soup, thank you for sharing your time and talent. Each pot of soup served helped bring people together around a table with purpose.

To the celebrity servers who gave their time and energy, thank you for serving with a smile and for engaging with our participants. You all are pillars of our community, and your support and visibility help cement Empty Bowls as a beloved Wilmington tradition.

And to the incredible potters and woodturners who donated more than 1,000 handcrafted bowls, we are in awe of your generosity and artistry. Each bowl carried its own story and served as a powerful reminder of the empty bowls we are working together to fill.

Together, you raised more than $75,000 in support of Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard’s food pantry and Good Shepherd Center’s soup kitchen!

Because of all of you, this event was a beautiful reminder of what happens when a community shows up for one another—thank you.
Photos: Jeff Hall Photography/ Mister Sparky Wilmington

03/14/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to Empty Bowls Wilmington yesterday! There is still time to bid on the the beautiful, one-of-a-kind auction pieces— anyone can register and bid until tomorrow (Sunday) at 5pm. Don't miss your chance to make even more of an impact on hunger in our community and take home a beautiful piece of art as well! Check out this post for more details!

03/13/2026

Today’s the day! Tickets are still available at the door-come join us at the First Baptist Activity Center on Independence from 11-1:30. Take Out is available, the soups look delish, and the bowls are stunning. Dont’t miss out 💖

03/12/2026

The Empty Bowls online auction is now open! This auction is open to the public, so you don't even have to attend Empty Bowls in person tomorrow to make an impact on hunger relief in our community. The auction will be open through Sunday, so you have all weekend to bid and keep an eye on your items! Every bid directly supports hunger relief efforts through Mother Hubbard's Cupboard's food pantry and Good Shepherd Center's soup kitchen. You can register and start bidding by visiting this link: https://goodshepherdwilmington.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/EmptyBowls2026/OnlineSilentAuctionRegistration/tabid/1572932/Default.aspx

03/08/2026

Volunteer spaces are still available for this Friday’s event! Even the most coveted role of dishwasher! 🤣🫢😎
If you would like to sign up, here’s the link, and we’ll see you there! 🥰

Thank you for volunteering for Wilmington's 2026 Empty Bowls. We are so excited to see you and look forward to a successful event. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you! Please email [email protected] if you are having trouble with this sign u...

03/07/2026

Did you know? We have a to-go line for those short on time who still want to support Empty Bowls!

🥣 Short on time? You can still be part of Empty Bowls.

We know schedules are full, but that shouldn’t keep you from joining this powerful community tradition. That’s why Empty Bowls offers a convenient to-go option—a dedicated line where you can pick up a bowl of soup to take with you, choose your handcrafted keepsake bowl, and be on your way.

Whether you stay to gather around the table or swing by for to-go, your ticket helps ensure pantry shelves stay stocked and nourishing meals continue reaching hungry families across our community.

No matter how you participate, you’re helping fill empty bowls.

Don’t wait — grab your ticket today!

https://goodshepherdwilmington.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/EmptyBowls2026/Tickets/tabid/1562761/Default.aspx

03/04/2026

We are so grateful for the Wilmington Area Woodturners Association and excited to have a great selection of their bowls available at this year's Empty Bowls!

03/02/2026

🥣 It’s officially Empty Bowls Month, and we hope you'll join us at the table!

📅 Friday, March 13, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m
📍 First Baptist Activity Center - 1939 Independence Blvd.
🎟️ $50 includes one gourmet bowl of soup from a local restaurant and a handcrafted bowl made by local artisans to take home

Everyone is invited to partake in this beloved community event that has helped fight hunger for more than 20 years. When you purchase a ticket, you’ll enjoy a bowl of soup from a local restaurant, select a handcrafted bowl made by talented local potters and woodturners to take home and keep, and take part in a tradition recognized around the world to support food-related charities. The bowl you take home serves as a reminder that hunger is ongoing and that our community has the power to respond.

Here in Wilmington, ticket sales directly benefit Mother Hubbard's Cupboard's food pantry and Good Shepherd Center’s soup kitchen, strengthening local food programs that operate day after day to keep food access steady for neighbors who need it most.
Tickets are still available, so pull up a chair—we'd love to gather with you!
Get your tickets today: https://goodshepherdwilmington.ejoinme.org/.../Default.aspx

02/24/2026

Thank you, WWAY TV, for highlighting Empty Bowls and the impact it has on addressing hunger in our community.
We’re grateful to everyone who continues to support Mother Hubbard's Cupboard's food pantry and Good Shepherd Center's soup kitchen through this meaningful event.
https://www.wwaytv3.com/empty-bowls-wilmington-returns-to-support-hunger-relief-in-the-cape-fear-region/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQKrLdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJuNmpRbFhsOXplNHFOUWwwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpIN7Y8aaHrynUuK_RFNBCB4oR9zVt9zNUYYvz7xtJhY7j4bkvrihuk_c0Xy_aem_gHWxU1MT_wTTz6nJEmVrLw

Empty Bowls Wilmington is returning to the Cape Fear in the middle of March.

02/18/2026

Empty Bowls 2026 is less than a month away! You can add a t-shirt or an apron to your ticket purchase through 2/25! Tickets and more information can be found here:
https://goodshepherdwilmington.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/EmptyBowls2026/tabid/1562759/Default.aspx

02/06/2026

We still have a need for soup from our favorite eateries so please feel free to contact me ([email protected]) or leave a comment if want to participate this year. We’d love to have you!

Empty Bowls is a global, grassroots movement led by artists and craftspeople who believe food access is a shared responsibility.

What began in a ceramics classroom with simple bowls, a meal, and a message has grown into events around the world that raise funds for local, food-related charities caring for neighbors in their own communities. Each Empty Bowls event is rooted locally while connected to a larger global effort to address hunger through generosity and shared community.

Here in Wilmington, Empty Bowls brings people together around one bowl, one meal, and one purpose: ensuring reliable support for food-insecure neighbors by raising essential funds for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard and Good Shepherd Center.

Purchase your tickets here and secure your seat at the table: https://goodshepherdwilmington.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/EmptyBowls2026/Tickets/tabid/1562761/Default.aspx

02/05/2026

Curious about how Empty Bowls started?
Here is a little background on how this grassroots event became a national movement to end hunger in local communities!

Empty Bowls is a global, grassroots movement led by artists and craftspeople who believe food access is a shared responsibility.

What began in a ceramics classroom with simple bowls, a meal, and a message has grown into events around the world that raise funds for local, food-related charities caring for neighbors in their own communities. Each Empty Bowls event is rooted locally while connected to a larger global effort to address hunger through generosity and shared community.

Here in Wilmington, Empty Bowls brings people together around one bowl, one meal, and one purpose: ensuring reliable support for food-insecure neighbors by raising essential funds for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard and Good Shepherd Center.

Purchase your tickets here and secure your seat at the table: https://goodshepherdwilmington.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/EmptyBowls2026/Tickets/tabid/1562761/Default.aspx