The Empty Bowls Bowl Sale puts hand-crafted bowls in cupboards across town and feeds the hungry of Monongalia County.

If you belong to one of the hundreds of Morgantown households that enjoy locally hand-crafted bowls you got at past Empty Bowls fundraising events—but especially if you don’t have any of these cupboard treasures yet—this weekend is your opportunity. Head over to the Mountaineer Mall between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. this Saturday, February 25, for the Empty Bowls Bowl Sale to start or add to your collection.
“We probably have an inventory of 1,500 bowls this year,” says Brian Diller, executive director of the nonprofit Empty Bowls Monongalia, which addresses food insecurity across Monongalia County.
The organization held the Bowl Sale for the first time in 2022 as a temporary pandemic-era substitute for its popular Soup and Bread Luncheon fundraiser. We checked in with him to learn more about this year’s sale.
Q: 1,500 bowls! Where did they all come from?
Brian Diller: it’s a combination of bowls contributed by local artisans, students from WVU’s creative arts programs, and a mix of community supporters, whether they were painted at The Wow! Factory or in their school environment.
Q: What will the sale of these bowls support?
BD: We have 24 partner agencies across the county that rely on us for funding. A lot of these organizations are very small and don’t have any development staff, and we do what we do to make sure they’ve got enough funding to get through.
Q: Has the need lessened with the retreat of the pandemic?
BD: The demand at our partner agencies is still very, very high. Even though the pandemic isn’t in the news every day, people are looking for jobs. This fundraiser is critical support.
Q: What price range will people see on the bowls this Saturday?
BD: Bowls are $15 for one or $25 for two.
Tables at the 2022 Bowl Sale were filled with bowls of every size, shape, color, and design. Visit the sale this Saturday for a one-of-a-kind gift or a matching set that adds handmade charm to your table—and plan to attend the re-launched Soup & Bread Luncheon in February 2024.
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