Empty Bowls

Chrysalis Center's annual Empty Bowls event is a family-friendly evening that raises awareness and support to combat hunger in our community. All proceeds from Empty Bowls benefit Freshplace, Chrysalis Center's innovative fresh food pantry, which provides fresh, nutritious food and individualized case management services to 100 families living in Hartford.

Empty Bowls is an international grassroots initiative focused on addressing food insecurity. Through this event, Chrysalis Center brings attention to the issue of hunger facing our neighbors throughout the state-particularly those living in Hartford's Promise Zone, federally designated neighborhoods where nearly 50% of residents live at or below the poverty line.

Each bowl serves as a meaningful reminder of hunger in our community and throughout the world, as well as the importance of ensuring access to healthy food for all. 

This event is open to the public; advance registration is required by clicking below:

Register Today!

Pottery & Ceramics Donations:

Soup Bowls: We are in need of many food safe soup bowls. Each guest gets to choose a soup bowl at the event as a keepsake. Additional bowls can be sold to raise more crucial funds!

What the Chrysalis Center can offer to you:

• Your name or the name/logo of your studio listed in the Empty Bowls event program handed to 140+ guests at the event;
• Logo and/or link on social media & event e-blast(s);
• Slide with logo on event slideshow; and
• Our heartfelt gratitude to you for helping us fill the bowls of those in our community who need food assistance. Together, we're making a meaningful difference!
  

Please email Summer at [email protected] for more information.

Chrysalis Center's Food Hub

Every day, more than 100,000 individuals living in Greater Hartford go to bed hungry - including 40,000 children under the age of 18. Poverty is one of the leading drivers of food insecurity, and in Hartford, the need is especially severe. Thirty-four percent of Hartford residents live at or below the poverty threshold, more than three times the statewide average.

In North Hartford, this figure rises to 50%, where many families live in areas known as food deserts, with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Larger grocery stores are often a bus ride outside the neighborhood, making access to wholesome, healthy food not just difficult - but nearly impossible.

Chrysalis Center's Food Hub addresses these critical challenges through a variety of innovative, hands-on programs and initiatives designed to increase access to fresh, nutritious food and support long-term stability in our community.