Empty Bowls 2026 at Junction 142

Empty Bowls Blue Mountains 2026 at Junction 142

Sat, 25 Jul, 11:30am – 6:30pm AEST

Junction 142, 142 Katoomba Street, Katoomba NSW 2780

A Simple Meal with a Powerful Purpose

3 Separate Sessions with a limit of 100 people per session

First session: 11:30am to 1:30pm

Second session: 1pm to 3pm

Third session: 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Silent Auction close: 4.30pm

Collection of silent auction items: 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Experience the warmth of community and the beauty of handmade bowls at Empty Bowls 2026, a unique fundraising event to combat food insecurity in our local area.

In the first ½ hour of your session, you select a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted bowl made bytalented local potters. In your session, the wonderful volunteers from Junction 142 fill your bowl with a delicious soup, made with care by the amazing soup chefs symbolizing the nourishment your contribution provides to our community in need.

Take the bowl home as a reminder of the meal you’ve shared and the difference you’ve made. Every bowl is empty until it is filled - with food, compassion, and hope.

The net profits of the event directly support hunger relief efforts in our community by Junction 142.

Ticket includes:

One handmade bowl to keep, soup and bread

Live entertainment

Raffles and Silent Auction

Empty Bowls Blue Mountains - Fundraising Event

Join us for a delicious meal of soup and bread served in a ceramic bowl of your choice made by a local artisan, which you choose in the first ½ hour prior of your chosen session and enjoy live performances by local musicians throughout the event.

Blue Mountains Clay Collective Inc. is proud to host our third Empty Bowls event to raise funds for Junction 142 and help alleviate hunger and need in our local community.

The hope is that each time your selected empty bowl is taken from your cupboard, it will serve as a reminder that someone else’s bowl was empty and that on this occasion, you helped Junction 142 alleviate hunger in our community.

About…

The Blue Mountains Clay Collective Inc.

https://bluemountainsclaycollective.org.au/

is a non-profit community group of potters, based in the Greater Blue Mountains.

Our vision is to bring together a diverse range of people with different levels of ceramic skills and experience to create and connect through clay. 

About…

Junction 142

https://www.junction142.org.au/

is a community organisation located in Katoomba in the beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales Australia.

As an activity of the Leura Uniting Church and the Community, Junction 142 provides a wide range of services:

The Open Table, which provides a welcoming, inclusive environment where people

can enjoy hot food and receive food hampers in the company of others.

Junction 142 Food Services provides hot meals three days each week and gives out

food hampers for people to take home.

Our hampers include easy to prepare food, pantry staples, fruit and vegetables.

We couldn’t provide our community with hampers without the ongoing support of

OzHarvest, Woolworths Katoomba, FoodBank, Blue Mountains Food Co-op, Bakers

Delight Katoomba. We also receive donations from local schools, including Blue

Mountains Grammar School, alongside individuals, local small businesses, and other

local community groups, including Rotary Blue Mountains.

From these valuable contributions, Junction 142 Food Services brings food support

to many people within our community who are struggling, disadvantaged, or

experiencing homelessness.

In addition to food and meals the Open Table provides a place where being part of a community is experienced and people can access information about issues such as health and housing.

• Shower and Laundry service, which also provides food hampers, clothing, bedding and toiletries.

• Sweet Charity Op Shop, which acts as front of house for Junction 142 and is a magnet for those seeking to be colourful and quirky.

• The Village Markets, which are well known as a bargain-hunting destination in the heart of Katoomba and are run by a group of local marketeers specialising in art, craft, handmade and pre – loved items.

• The free Locker service which gives people a safe place to store their possessions.

• Creative Spaces for Hire A classic 1930s hall, a beautiful, atmospheric church and meeting rooms for hire. Come and stage your unique event at Junction 142.

About…

Empty Bowls Blue Mountains

A Community-Driven Initiative Fighting Food Insecurity

The Empty Bowls Blue Mountains initiative is a grassroots community project spearheaded by the Blue Mountains Clay Collective Inc. a group of passionate local potters dedicated to using their craft for social good. Rooted in the international Empty Bowls movement, which began in the early 1990s, this local iteration brings together artists, businesses, an community members to support food security programs in the Blue Mountains region.

At its heart, Empty Bowls Blue Mountains is a fundraising event centred around handmade ceramic bowls, symbolizing both nourishment and the collective effort to combat hunger.

Participating potters and ceramic artists donate a selection of beautifully crafted bowls, which are offered at fundraising events for guests to choose and receive a serving of delicious soup.  Attendees take their chosen bowls home as a tangible reminder of the ongoing issue of food insecurity and their contribution to alleviating it. The net profits raised from the Empty Bowls Blue Mountains event go directly to Junction 142. 

With each handmade bowl and each shared meal, Empty Bowls Blue Mountains reinforces the belief that art can be a powerful tool for change, transforming both communities and lives.