Oxford Empty Bowls 2026 • November 7, 2026 • 11:00am - 2:00pm

We are SO excited to be hosting this year's Oxford Empty Bowls luncheon at the Oxford Community Arts Center in support of our friends and neighbors in need!  In 2025, between luncheon receipts, donations, and our Silent Auction, we were able to distribute   $15,758 to our local beneficiaries, and we're hopeful for another great year.  In total, over 23 years, the community has raised $185,855 and  this year we hope to break the $200,000 mark!


You are invited to join us again in 2026 as we work together with our beneficiaries in the fight against hunger and food insecurity in our community.  See you on November 7th!


Ways you can help!


  • Would you like to donate soup, bread, or desserts to be eaten at our luncheon? Sign up here!
  • Are you interested in volunteering your time? Sign up on this link!
  • Do you have bowls to donate?  Email OxfordEmptyBowls@gmail.com to set up a pick up/drop off time.
  • If you would like to make a donation before the event, to be added into our total donation that goes to our beneficiaries, you can donate here!

The Empty Bowls Story

Empty Bowls is an international hunger relief effort, though all activities and events occur at the local, or grass-roots, level. The event was started in 1990 by a Michigan art teacher named John Hartom who was looking for a creative way to involve his students in a local food drive. Before long, the idea of Empty Bowls spread, and Empty Bowls events are now held all across the United States and in twenty different countries, raising millions of dollars worldwide toward hunger relief.  

Our Story
Oxford Empty Bowls began in 2002, the inspiration of Camilla Flinterman and Alice Laatsch. Hosted for many years at the Oxford United Methodist Church, as our local event grew and expanded it relocated to the Oxford Community Arts Center, both to accommodate larger crowds and to further its connection to the arts.

 What We Do

Raise funds for local hunger relief

Raise awareness of food security issues

Advocate for service learning through the arts

Build a caring and inclusive community

How It Works

When and Where

Oxford Empty Bowls is held annually in November at the beautiful and historic Oxford Community Arts Center.

What You Get

This donation then provides you with a simple lunch of homemade soup, bread, a beverage and dessert, as well as a handmade or hand-decorated bowl of your choice.

Entrance Donation

At the luncheon, each guest gives a donation of $15; children 10 and under eat for free (handmade bowl not included).

Why It's Great!

Guests then keep their bowls as a reminder of the fun they had but more importantly as a reminder that there are always empty bowls in the world.

$185,855

Raised as of December 2025

100% of all receipts are given directly to our beneficiaries; every single penny, every single year, goes directly to the hunger relief organizations we support to be used toward alleviating hunger in the Oxford community.

Soup's On! 

We hope you will join us in the fight against hunger and food insecurity by supporting Oxford Empty Bowls 2026 on Saturday, November 7,  11am - 2pm.  Mark your calendars now!

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Soup's On!

Our Events
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Oxford Empty Bowls

Oxford Empty Bowls

Contact

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to learn about how to volunteer, please contact us by filling out the form below and we will get in touch with you shortly.

Send Us a Message

Send Us a Message