“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy...when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”
-Marjorie Moore
A cooperative effort of the Smithville Food Pantry, Smithville Community Gardens, Lost Pines Artisans' Alliance, S. Williams Angels Unaware Ministry, & Smithville Community Clinic
Helping Feed People in Need
Saturday, March 28, 2026
11:00am - 2:00pm
Tickets $20
Smithville Recreation Center at 106 Royston
at the corner of Loop 230 & NW 1st streets
The Empty Bowl Project is a national grassroots effort to fight hunger. The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, students, and volunteers create and paint handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. In exchange for a donation, guests are asked to keep a student bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to organizations working to end hunger, food insecurity, physical and mental health .
The Smithville Food Pantry, Smithville Community Gardens, Lost Pines Artisans' Alliance, Smithville Community Clinic & S. Williams Angels Unaware Ministry are working together to bring a fun, informative day to the citizens of Smithville and the surrounding areas. Join us!
Painting Parties!
Birthday Parties! Team Building Programs! Family Fun!
We have all the supplies, you just need to bring your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers...!
Paint bisque bowls, which you will take home after they are fired in our kiln.
Coordinate a Party by emailing the Smithville Empty Bowl. We will work with you to schedule the right date.
Prices to paint are:
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$40 for single adults
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$60 for two adults
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$20 for each child under 14 or under accompanied by an adult.
Price includes:
~ time with an artist who can provide tips and tricks if needed
~ a bowl to take home (after it has been fired)
~ a ticket to the event on March 28th (a value of $20)
~ a great feeling for supporting 5 nonprofits and the community as a whole
Open Studio Bowl Painting Parties will take place on several Saturdays in February and March.
Watch our FaceBook page for Saturday dates!
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: 301 Burleson St., Smithville, TX
Our Team
Smithville Food Pantry
The mission of the Smithville Food Pantry is to provide nutritious food to fight hunger in our community. Our vision is: A Hunger-Free Community. The impact of inadequate nutrition on families is far more reaching than just an empty stomach. An empty stomach effects the ability of families to function effectively in society, including being self-sufficient.
Smithville Community Gardens
The Smithville Community Gardens fights food insecurity and encourages healthy nutrition in the Smithville, Texas community by developing a network of sustainable and communal agricultural gardens that provide healthy, organically-grown produce and fruit available to anyone in the community. This all-volunteer organization also promotes educational programs throughout the community and in Smithville schools.
Smithville Community Clinic
Smithville Community Clinic’s mission is to provide hope and healing to those without means. We continue to improve the quality of life in our community and support the health care needs of our patients. Today the clinic provides patient benefits, in addition to community benefits such as preventative healthcare education referrals, Licensed Professional Behavioral Health Counselors and Behavioral Health Advocates, Well Women's Clinics, Dental services and Volunteer Opportunities.
Samella Williams Angel Unaware Ministry
Our mission is to help SISD students be successful by providing supplemental nutrition, hygiene products, and school supplies.
Each week, our organization provides nutritious snack packs to food-insecure students on each SISD campus. We continue to provide this service to children during the summer as well. Hygiene products are now available for distribution to students also.
Our
Story
The Smithville Empty Bowl project began in 2011 as a partnership between the Smithville Food Pantry, the Smithville Community Gardens, and the Lost Pines Artisans’ Alliance to help our community become more aware of hunger in the Smithville area and to address this urgent need. Our partners have grown since then: the Samella Williams Angels Unaware Ministry joined the group in 2014, and in 2019 the Smithville Community Clinic became the fifth partner. Each of these organizations provide needed services for the health and welfare of the Smithville community.