Oxford Empty Bowls

The Empty Bowls concept was created in 1990 by John Hartom, a Michigan art teacher who was looking for a creative way for his students to support a local food drive. Empty Bowls events are now held in thousands of individual communities worldwide, each working at the grassroots level and collectively raising millions of dollars toward hunger relief. All Empty Bowls events are self- developed and independent; no support is received from, nor are fees paid to, a parent organization. Oxford Empty Bowls began in 2002.

Oxford Empty Bowls is an annual benefit soup luncheon that provides support for the Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services and other local organizations' efforts to alleviate hunger and reduce food insecurity in the greater Oxford area. Oxford Empty Bowls’ four primary objectives are:

• To raise funds for local hunger relief.
• To raise awareness of the issue of food insecurity, which refers to a household-level, economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
• To serve as an advocate for service learning through the arts. This connects us to the intent of the original Empty Bowls project and allows us to engage artists of all ages and introduce the ideas of civic and social responsibility into art and art education.
• To help build a caring and inclusive community by bringing together people from all areas of the greater Oxford and Miami University community.