Bowls with a Purpose: Community Comes Together to Fight Hunger

Ingrid Stockman’s (11) finished painting of a hummingbird on a plate at empty bowls. 

The Upper Valley Empty Bowls Festival is an annual event held in late January that gives participants four days to paint ceramic bowls. This year’s event took place Jan. 23–26, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. Participants could order bowls online or at the door, though in-person orders sold out quickly. The 2026 festival was hosted and sponsored by Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort on Icicle Road. The event is held to help care for and feed members of the community. 

“The Upper Valley Empty Bowls Festival is an annual fundraiser to support Upper Valley MEND’s Community Cupboard as well as local youth through art grants,” said the Upper Valley Empty Bowls Team. 

“The Upper Valley Empty Bowls Festival is an annual fundraiser to support Upper Valley MEND’s Community Cupboard as well as local youth through art grants,” said the Upper Valley Empty Bowls Team. 

On March 8 from 5:30–7:30 p.m., participants can attend the Upper Valley Empty Bowls Artist Bowls Gala and Showcase at Icicle Ridge Winery. Attendees can meet the potters who hand-threw the soup bowls available for painting, as well as the artists who created specialty bowls for auction. 

The artist auction bowls are also displayed in downtown stores from March 9–26, allowing community members to view them in person. This year, 22 local artists and eight local potters contributed work. During the display period, the bowls are available through an online auction, with all proceeds benefiting the Community Cupboard. 

The festival concludes with the Soup Supper on March 26 at the Leavenworth Festhalle. Participants who painted bowls can pick them up at this event. Community members are invited to attend, connect with others and enjoy a bowl of soup. Bowls purchased during glazing days include a ticket to the Soup Supper, and tickets are also available online for those who did not purchase a bowl earlier.