Ferrum, VA, February 26, 2026 — Empty Bowls at Ferrum College is an annual fundraiser that represents a strong community collaboration and draws in a wide variety of volunteers and groups. This year Ferrum’s sixteenth Empty Bowls event will be held March 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room in Franklin Hall. It is sponsored by Ferrum College, Metz Culinary Management, Ferrum College ceramics classes, the Arts and Media Club, and the Blue Ridge Potters Guild.
The goal of Empty Bowls is to raise a minimum of $13,000, all of which supports the Panther Packs Program at Ferrum Elementary School. The program provides six meals plus snacks each weekend–more than 16,000 meals during the school year–for over 80 children at Ferrum Elementary School who come from food-insecure homes. In 2025, Empty Bowls had record attendance and proceeds, raising over $13,000.
Nell Fredericksen, an artist, adjunct instructor of ceramics, and organizer of Empty Bowls, instructs classes and community groups who make bowls each year. Volunteers who came to the clay studio on campus to make bowls this winter included members of the Blue Ridge Potters Guild and 16 Hands Floyd, the Zernhelt family and friends, a Smith Mountain Lake group, Emory and Henry University’s chapter of Pi Sigma Kappa, the Pendleton family, Creatives of the Round Table, Fairmont +, Franklin County High School’s World Language Department, Winding Waters Neighborhood, the Holly Jolly Hodges, and the Talley/Price family.
A silent auction will feature a beautiful array of artwork donated by numerous talented local and regional artists and items donated by local businesses (as shown in the 2025 photo). All of these volunteers join together to achieve the goal of making over 600 unique bowls and providing exceptional auction items, create advertising and promotions, and work in many ways to ensure the success of the event.
“Ferrum College Empty Bowls is a truly unique collaboration between the College and the community,” said Fredericksen. “This brings together local groups, professional artists from all over the region, and the College ceramics students to produce the bowls and provide auction items. We then invite the wider community to come enjoy a great afternoon of good food and fellowship–all with the common goal of feeding children through the Panther Pack Program.”
Julie Nix, a former Ferrum College staff member and former school board member, returns to Ferrum every spring to help wash all the bowls before the event begins and then serve soup and bread during Empty Bowls. (Her face is hidden by a shoulder behind the food table in the 2025 event photo.) Nix said the program “is so much work, but it’s worth it. The kids who get the food are the ones who need it the most.”
Food purchased with the proceeds from Empty Bowls by the Panther Packs organizers Grace Altice and Sam Altice is packed by volunteers throughout the school year. Professor Emeritus Bob Pohlad said, “I am so pleased to be a part of three groups that pack for Ferrum Elementary’s Panther Pack program; the Ferrum Lions Club, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and Ferrum Forward all participate. For us to be able to do a small part to support the needs of our community children and their families in this way is wonderful. I am happy each year to provide photos for the silent auction, along with all the amazing crafters who donate additional items. We are very fortunate to have such a supportive community.”
Empty Bowls is an international project focused on the concept of handmade art and artists working to fight hunger in their own communities. The promotion and growth of the global project are managed by The Imagine/RENDER Group. However, each event is independently organized and supports the fight against hunger within the communities that host these events. “Ferrum College Empty Bowls is proud to be one such event,” said Fredericksen.
President Mirta Martin said, “Empty Bowls at Ferrum College is a celebration of community, compassion, and caring for those in need. Every bowl shared, every act of giving, directly supports children and families, reminding us that when we come together, we can nourish not just bodies, but hope, opportunity, and belonging.”
At Empty Bowls, a $20 donation ($15 for students) allows attendees to select an artistic handmade bowl and enjoy homemade soup, bread, and a lively community gathering.
Photographs courtesy of Dr. Bob Pohlad and Ms. Nell Fredericksen
Click here for more photos from Empty Bowls 2025.
See the Ferrum College Empty Bowls Facebook page and Facebook event page for more photos of bowls, bowl-makers, and previews of items for sale before March 15.
