Empty Bowls & Harvest of Hope at Watershed
Every February, Watershed hosts our Empty Bowls fundraiser that brings the Boulder community together to address food insecurity in our area. Our most recent event, held on February 19, raised $9,300 for the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry, a longstanding partner of Watershed. Attendees purchase tickets that include a handcrafted ceramic bowl—symbolizing the empty bowls of those facing hunger in our community.
Students in Watershed’s Ceramics courses, along with members of the Boulder Potters’ Guild (another Watershed community partner) contribute handmade bowls and volunteer their time for the event, while a representative from the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry also speaks about their mission and goals as an organization: to provide healthy, supplemental food for folks in Boulder who need it most. Local Boulder restaurants generously provide the meal - soup and bread for attendees to share together in community.
“Our partnership with the Boulder Potters’ Guild was crucial in order to have a successful first run for this fundraiser. The Watershed students worked hard to make bowls, but lacked the time and resources to generate a volume of bowls an event like this requires. The membership of the Guild really stepped up with donating bowls and facilitating a Bowl-a-Thon to create a wonderful selection of bowls for attendees to choose from.”
Inaugural Fundraiser: EMPTY BOWLS 2024
The event made a remarkable impact: 133 tickets sold, over 155 bowls distributed, and more than $4,700 raised for Harvest of Hope! This experience reminded us that small actions, united by community, can drive meaningful change.
EMPTY BOWLS 2025
Energized by last year’s success, Watershed held its second annual Boulder Empty Bowls Fundraiser at our new campus this year on February 20, 2025. We were thrilled by the turnout, selling even more tickets than our previous year! Local restaurants that generously donated soup and bread this year were: Lucky’s Bakehouse/Cafe, Dish Gourmet, and the West End Tavern.
The success of this year’s event was truly inspiring, with a total of $7,093 raised! Of this amount, $3,750 came from ticket sales, and the remaining $3,343 was from donations (including a last-minute gift of $1,000!) and the sale of the handcrafted bowls. Thanks to the generosity of attendees and local businesses, the funds raised will provide over 7,500 meals for those in need.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, and donated. This event was a shining example of what can be accomplished when a community comes together to support those in need, one bowl at a time.
To learn about what is going on at Harvest of Hope Pantry or for information about getting involved, you can check out their website or newsletter! Empty Bowls is a national effort to address local food insecurity. You can learn more here!
Check out this student-produced documentary reel by Watershed student Lilla '29, covering Watershed's second annual Boulder Empty Bowls Fundraiser 2025. This reel was made as part of the middle school Cinema Studies Skills course - learn more about this community partnership through a student lens!
EMPTY BOWLS 2026: MORE RAISED THAN EVER BEFORE!
Empty Bowls 2026 was a huge success! This year's event at Watershed raised $9,300 for Harvest of Hope Pantry! That’s more than 16,000 bowls filled for families in our community. Huge thanks to our partners who helped make the evening possible:
Boulder Potters' Guild | West End Tavern | Dish Gourmet | Lucky's Bakehouse Cafe - and our talented ceramics students and staff.
We’re so grateful for this community. See you next year! *Read more about this year's event on our latest blog post.
