Franklin Food Pantry & Empty Bowls Club Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Empty Bowls Dinner - May 22

What: The Franklin Food Pantry and Empty Bowls Club are hosting their 10th Anniversary Empty Bowls Dinner, featuring a simple meal of soup and bread, handcrafted ceramic bowls by Franklin High School students, a silent art auction, live music, and family-friendly activities.

Who: Franklin Food Pantry and Empty Bowls Club (Franklin High School Students)

Get your tickets ->https://bit.ly/4hXgMuM

When: Thursday, May 22, 2025, 6 to 8 PM

Where: Franklin High School Cafeteria, 218 Oak St, Franklin, MA 02038

Why: To raise awareness and funds for the Franklin Food Pantry and address food insecurity in the community, remembering the message, "Somewhere, someone's bowl is empty."

Tickets: Adults: $22 online ($25 at the door), children (18 and under) $12 online ($15 at the door), available at: https://bit.ly/4hXgMuM

T-shirts Available (through April 15): https://bit.ly/3EaL2Eo

To sponsor this event, please email Jen Johnson, Development Associate, jjohnson@franklinfoodpantry.org

Note: I am proud to sponsor this event.

You can make a ceramic bowl at the Open Studio for Empty Bowls - March 27

You can make a ceramic bowl at the Open Studio

Empty Bowls is hosting one more Open Studio at FHS on Thursday, March 27th from 5:30 - 7 pm in room 138. 

Link to sign-up -> https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094AAAA72AA7F9C25-55417348-empty#/

All ages & art skills welcome!! 

@FranklinFoodPan @FHS_EmptyBowls @FranklinHS #emptybowls 

Photos from last Thursday's Open Studio! ->   https://t.co/EGIo2HqxWK

Shared from -> https://x.com/johnsonb_ms/status/1903455118403445195

You can make an empty bowl! Register for the Open Studio Event March 20

Register for the Open Studio Event March 20

Calling all creatives! Join the @fhs_emptybowls at the high school on Thursday, March 20, 2025, from 5:30 to 7 PM in room 138 (enter by gym) for an Open Studio Event! 

Kids (age 7+), adults, and families will create bowls for the 10th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on May 22, 2025. 

Don't forget: kids under 12 need an adult sidekick, and all supplies are provided. This event is free, but please consider bringing a donation for The Pantry! 

Register early as we anticipate this event to fill up! Should your plans change after registration, please cancel to allow others to attend! 

Registration link ->  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094AAAA72AA7F9C25-54867333-empty?#/

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DGyxyhBRGhg/

Save the date for Empty Bowls Dinner - May 22

Save the date for Empty Bowls Dinner - May 22

Mark your calendars! The 10th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner and Fundraiser will take place on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 6 PM at Franklin Public High School! 

Join us for a simple supper of soup and bread, bid on raffle items including pottery designed and created by Empty Bowls club members— all to raise funds for The Pantry and bring awareness that “somewhere, someone’s bowl is empty.” 

Tickets go on sale April 1! 

Interested in sponsoring the event? Please email Jen Johnson, Development Associate, at jjohnson@franklinfoodpantry.org.

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/DF_EW5PRFDA/

Empty Bowls Club students participated in Hunger Action Month Event

Empty Bowls Club students 

"Empty Bowls has kicked off our 10th year running with Spoonfuls! This past Thursday, the Franklin Food Pantry welcomed a Massachusetts-based food recovery organization, Spoonfuls, to speak about food insecurity and food waste. A handful of our EB officers attended this event and wanted to share some information and resources. Your actions, no matter how small, impact our community, so make sure to take any steps you can to help fight food insecurity!

Some actions you can take to reduce food waste within your very own home include:
- Using all of your leftovers
- Making, and sticking to, a set grocery list
- Rethinking “Best By” dates on food (see first image for guide)

For more information on Spoonfuls, check out their website spoonfuls.org and for more information about the Franklin Food Pantry check out franklinfoodpantry.org

Empty Bowls is ready for another great year 💜🥣"

@fhs_claystudio @franklinfoodpan @franklinmatters.ma @townoffranklinma @spoonfulsfoodrecovery

Shared from -> https://www.instagram.com/p/C_10DdFOVBb/

Congratulations to Empty Bowls Scholarship Winners Allie Maccalous and Giavanna Ciampolillo

via Franklin Food Pantry 

"Congratulations to Empty Bowls Scholarship Winners Allie Maccalous and Giavanna Ciampolillo! 

The scholarship recognizes the long-term commitment these students have made to the mission of the Empty Bowls Club throughout their time in high school. 

Allie will attend the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford in the fall as an undecided Art major, and Giavanna will attend Stonehill College in the fall for a double major in Business and Psychology. 

Everyone at The Pantry is grateful to Allie and Giavanna for bringing awareness to food insecurity and sharing their talents with us! 

 

Photo: Allie and Giavanna with Empty Bowls Club Advisor and FHS Art Teacher Brenna Johnson

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/gSKeHtzGPhCviUw4/

You can listen to the recording by the Empty Bowls leadership team in advance of the Empty Bowls simple supper in May 2024 ->    https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/04/this-episode-talks-about-working-with.html

Community Comes Together to Remember “Somewhere, Someone’s Bowl is Empty”, raises over $17,000

The Franklin Food Pantry, which provides supplemental food assistance and programs, is pleased to partner with the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club for the 9th Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser to bring awareness to food insecurity and hunger in the community. The event took place on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at Franklin High School and included a simple supper of soup and bread. More than 250 members of the community attended, and each received a handcrafted ceramic bowl made by a club member as a reminder that somewhere, someone's bowl is empty. More than $17,500 was raised from this year’s event which will help The Pantry purchase food and personal care items, offer programs and services, and support daily operations.

9th Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser

Empty Bowls is a grassroots effort by artists and crafts people in cities and towns around the world to feed people experiencing hunger. Since 2016, the Empty Bowls Club fundraisers have raised nearly $95,000 for The Pantry. Franklin High School teacher Brenna Johnson advises the club and encourages students to utilize their talents to help make a positive impact in their community.

Sponsors of the event included: J.M. Aldrich, Allegra Print and Marketing, Franklin Cultural Council, America's Best Defense, Elizabeth's Bagels, Fenton Financial Group, Mount Street Farm, QRGA Certified Public Accountants, Advanced European Repair, All Around Gymnastics Academy, The Baur Family, Chestnut Dental, Eagle Stainless Tube and Fabrication, Feet in Motion School of Dance, Franklin Matters, Grove Street Auto Repair, Knights of Columbus Franklin Council #1847, and Next9Up. Food and beverages for the event were provided by Big Y Supermarket, BJ’s Wholesale Club, 3 Restaurant, Franklin Food Services, and Whole Foods Market.  Silent auction items included ceramic pieces from club members, a rendition of the Massachusetts State House by State Representative Jeffrey Roy, and impressive items from Fiori & Fern, Learning Express, and the New England Patriots Foundation. 

“The Empty Bowls Club’s dedication and commitment to bringing awareness to food insecurity is truly inspiring,” said Tina Powderly, Executive Director, Franklin Food Pantry. “Demand for supplemental food assistance and our services is up 41 percent vs. last year, and the students and school staff are a shining example of what our community can do when we come together.”

Photos of the event, courtesy of Linda Rondeau Photography, are available for use HERE. For more information about supporting the Franklin Food Pantry, or to attend an upcoming event, please visit the Franklin Food Pantry website at www.franklinfoodpantry.org

About the Franklin Food Pantry, Inc.

The Franklin Food Pantry, Inc. offers supplemental food assistance, household necessities, and resource referral programs to people in the Franklin community. The Pantry relies on donations and grants to purchase items and pay for daily operations, and partnerships with The Greater Boston Food Bank, Spoonfuls, and local grocery stores to achieve greater buying power and lower costs. Programs include In-person Shopping, Curbside Pick-up, Emergency Food Bags, Mobile Pantries, Home Delivery, Kids’ Snack Bags, Weekend Backpacks, Holiday Meal Kits, and the SNAP match at Franklin Farmers Market. 

The Pantry is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in good standing in Massachusetts, recognized by Charity Navigator as a Four-Star Charity, and awarded GuideStar’s Platinum Transparency ranking. The Pantry is located at 341 W Central St. in Franklin, Massachusetts, on Route 140. Please visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org for more information.

Get Your Tickets for the Empty Bowls Dinner Thursday, May 23 at 6 PM

Get your tickets for the 9th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner! The event will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the Franklin High School cafeteria from 6 to 8 PM. 

The Empty Bowls Club students have been hard at work making hundreds of bowls for this upcoming community event. There will be a simple dinner of soup and bread, music from FHS students, a ceramic bowl for each attendee, and a selfie booth.

Silent Auction items include:

• Fiori & Fern custom gift basket
• New England Patriots autographed photo of Jonathan Jones
• One week of summer camp at Feet in Motion School of Dance
• Ceramic pieces created by the Empty Bowls Club students
• A special work made by Rep. Jeff Roy

The Pantry will also unveil preliminary findings from our current strategic planning process at the event.

Online tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for students/children 18 years old and younger.  Get tickets -> https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E188424&id=86

Ticket prices increase to $25/$15 at the door on the day of the event. Cash or check only, please.

All proceeds support the Franklin Food Pantry. If you can't make it to this event, you can find other ways to support the pantry with one time or recurring gifts -> https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/give-gifts/

Franklin Matters is proud to be a sponsor of this event.

Get Your Tickets for the Empty Bowls Dinner Thursday, May 23 at 6 PM

Thanks to the Empty Bowls Sponsors! Get your tickets for May 23

Via Franklin Food Pantry: 

Empty Bowls is Thursday, May 23!  

Don't miss this family friendly event which is made possible by our many sponsors including Advanced European Repair, All Around Gymnastic Academy, the Baur Family (Amber Baur), Chestnut Dental, Eagle Stainless Tube and Fabrication, Feet in Motion School of Dance, Franklin Matters (Stephen Sherlock), Grove Street Auto Repair, Knights of Columbus #1847, and Next9Up .  

Thank you sponsors!

Get your tickets at https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/emptybowls/

Thanks to the Empty Bowls Sponsors! Get your tickets for May 23

Yes, I am proud to be a sponsor for this event to create awareness around of food insecurity needs.  Did you catch my conversation with the Empty Bowls leadership team?

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/04/this-episode-talks-about-working-with.html

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/uMPu3K3uzMKKVYTV/

9th Annual Empty Bowls Tickets on Sale for the Dinner scheduled for May 23

Get your tickets for the 9th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner! The event will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the Franklin High School cafeteria from 6 to 8 pm.

The Empty Bowls Club students have been hard at work making hundreds of bowls for this upcoming community event. There will be a simple dinner of soup and bread, music from FHS students, a ceramic bowl for each attendee, and silent auction including a special work made by Rep. Jeff Roy, and more! The Pantry will also unveil preliminary findings from our current strategic planning process at the event. 

All proceeds support the Franklin Food Pantry.

Online tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for students/children 18 years old and younger.

Ticket prices increase to $25/$15 at the door on the day of the event. 

Cash or check only, please.

9th Annual Empty Bowls Tickets on Sale for the Dinner scheduled for May 23

This episode talks about working with clay and words to create awareness around Empty Bowls 2024 (audio)

FM #1183 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1183 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Brenna Johnson, Franklin High School art/ceramics teacher and Empty Bowls (EB) coordinator. We met to record in the ceramics room at FHS on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. 

The FHS EBers introduce themselves as we go around the table: 

• Kira Magliari, Senior, EB Social Media, continuing a family tradition of participating in Empty Bowls, has made a Silent Auction piece, helped make the Jeff Roy Project this year

• Allie Maccalous, Senior, EB President, in AP3D Ceramics this year, assists in running Empty Bowls administratively each week, has made several Silent Auction pieces over the years, helped with the Jeff Roy Project this year

• Bridget Kennedy, Senior, EB Secretary, in AP3D Ceramics & Independent Study in Ceramics this year, has made several Silent Auction pieces

 

The conversation runs about 35 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with the FHS Empty Bowls Club leadership team. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1183-empty-bowls-2024-working-with-clay-words-04-23-24

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Tickets for the Empty Bowls Dinner May 23 -> https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E188424&id=86 

Buy a T-shirts for Empty Bowls -> https://unipaygold.unibank.com/transactioninfo.aspx?TID=32256 

Steve’s poem dedicated to Brenna Johnson and the Empty Bowls Club -> https://www.quietpoet.com/2023/03/please-should-not-be-needed.html 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

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Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit www.franklin.news/ or  www.Franklinmatters.org/ 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

This episode talks about working with clay and words to create awareness around Empty Bowls 2024 (audio)

Get your Empty Bowls T-shirt and help the Empty Bowls fund raising efforts!

"Get your Empty Bowls T-shirt! Designed by a Club member, t-shirt proceeds help with costs to create pottery auctioned at the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Fundraiser. 

Shirts will be distributed at the fundraiser on May 23, 2024.

https://bit.ly/T-Shirt Purchase 

Please note that a separate ticket is required to attend the event. Purchase in advance at www.franklinfoodpantry.org ->

https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E188424&id=86

Get your Empty Bowls T-shirt and help the Empty Bowls fund raising efforts!

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/p/UntfJbxvnTAM9b6K/

Tickets On Sale for the 9th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner to Support the Franklin Food Pantry

Tickets for the 9th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner are on sale now! 

Rep Jeff Roy works with members of the
Empty Bowls Club to create a ceramic piece

The event will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the Franklin High School cafeteria from 6 to 8 PM. The Empty Bowls Club students have been hard at work making hundreds of bowls for this upcoming community event. There will be a simple dinner of soup and bread, music from FHS students, a ceramic bowl for each attendee, a silent auction, and more. 

All proceeds from the event will support the Franklin Food Pantry. Online tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for students/children 18 years old and younger. 

Prices increase to $25/$15 respectively at the door on the day of the event.

To purchase tickets -> https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E188424&id=86

The Empty Bowls Club is also selling t-shirts as a fundraiser for the Club. All proceeds will directly benefit the Empty Bowls Club to help with the costs of clay and glaze. Shirts will be distributed at the event. If you would like to purchase a t-shirt, please follow this link -> https://unipaygold.unibank.com/ (enter "Franklin High School", then select "2024 Empty Bowls T-Shirts")

Show support for the community by becoming an Empty Bowls sponsor. Sponsorship opportunities start at $250. Click HERE for more information or email Jen Johnson, Major Gifts Coordinator at jjohnson@franklinfoodpantry.org.

Note: Franklin Matters is proud to be a sponsor of Empty Bowls

Rep. Jeff Roy worked with Empty Bowls on a Silent Auction item

Yesterday Rep. Jeff Roy worked with Empty Bowls making a ceramic tray for the annual fundraiser on Thurs. May 23rd, 6-8pm in the FHS cafeteria.  

Tickets go on sale Monday through the pantry’s website.

@FranklinFoodPan

@FranklinPSNews

@TOFranklinMA

@FranklinHS

@FCC02038

@FHS_EmptyBowls

Shared from -> https://twitter.com/johnsonb_ms/status/1773168494613323797

Ticket for Empty Bowls -> https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/emptybowls/

Rep. Jeff Roy worked with Empty Bowls on a Silent Auction item