Empty Bowls & Harvest of Hope at Watershed
Watershed’s inaugural Empty Bowls fundraiser brought the Boulder community together to address food insecurity in our area. Benefitting the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry, a longstanding partner of Watershed, attendees purchased tickets that included a handcrafted ceramic bowl - symbolizing the empty bowls of those in need.
Students in Watershed’s Ceramics courses, along with members of the Boulder Potters’ Guild (another Watershed community partner) contributed handmade bowls and volunteered their time for the event. A representative from the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry also took the time to speak about their mission and goals as an organization: to provide healthy, supplemental food for folks in Boulder who need it most. Local Boulder restaurants Bellota, Brasserie Ten Ten, and Lucky’s Market generously provided the meal - soup and bread for attendees to share together in community.
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.
“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.”
