This year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser has raised over $15,000 to support One City Peterborough’s daily meal program at Trinity Community Centre.
The 22nd annual fundraiser was held on Friday (February 27) at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough.
According to a statement from One City Peterborough, which held the fundraiser in partnership with the Kawartha Potters Guild, all 180 tickets were sold out “in just a few short weeks — it was an incredible turnout!”
Attendees were able to select a handmade artisanal bowl of their choice from a wide selection made by members of the Kawartha Potters Guild, while also sampling a wide range of food donated by local restaurants. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a silent auction featuring a selection of special bowls.
With Cornerstone Family Dentistry returning once again as presenting sponsor, this year’s participating restaurants were Hanoi House, St. Veronus, The Vine, La Mesita Restaurante, Hard Winter Bakery, By the Bridge, The Food Shop, Sam’s Place, Love You Mean It, Ashburnham Ale House, and Silver Bean Cafe.
“To everyone who participated, including guests, vendors, potters and sponsors, your support is deeply appreciated,” stated One City Peterborough. “Thank you for helping us strengthen food security in our community.”
Empty Bowls, a grassroots movement by artists and crafts people in cities around the world to care for and feed the hungry in their communities, first came to Peterborough in 2003 when Karen Hjort-Jensen, then director of housing of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, brought forward the concept and began the partnership with the Kawartha Potters Guild.
Over two decades, the event helped raise more than $210,000 for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s Nourish Project, developed out of the Peterborough Community Food Network when its members decided there was a need to address the gaps in food access, production, consumption, and knowledge in the city and county of Peterborough.
However, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton was forced to end the community food initiative on March 31, 2025 due to inadequate funding.
As a result, proceeds from last year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser were used to support food insecurity programs at One City Peterborough and Kawartha Food Share — a decision the YWCA made after consulting with the Kawartha Potters Guild, which has donated bowls every year to the fundraiser.
This year’s fundraiser supported One City Peterborough’s daily meal program at Trinity Community Centre, which serves over 250 meals each day to people in need in the community and provided over 93,000 meals in 2025.
For more information about One City Peterborough and to donate, visit www.onecityptbo.ca.
