CMC Rifle’s ceramics students have hand-crafted over 500 bowls in preparation for this year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser to benefit Grand River’s Meals on Wheels program, scheduled for April 16.
CMC Rifle ceramics students provide hundreds of bowls for Empty Bowls fundraiser on April 16
Colorado Mountain College Rifle’s ceramics students are once again offering their creative help in a major fundraiser benefiting local seniors’ services. The ninth annual Empty Bowls event, held Wednesday, April 16, is a lunchtime event organized by the Grand River Hospital District’s Volunteer Association, with money raised going to Grand River Meals on Wheels – which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026.
This year, CMC students have hand-crafted nearly 500 individual bowls and mugs, which attendees can fill with a choice of eight soups (including posole and a loaded baked potato soup, plus vegan and vegetarian options) created by the Grand River Café and the Grand River Care Center kitchen. The bowls are theirs to keep afterwards, part of the $25 ticket price. A silent art auction will also be taking place, with work by Dean Bowlby, Lynn Shore, Lindsey Johnson and others.
Kaaren Peck, director of volunteer services with Grand River Meals on Wheels, said Empty Bowls helps Grand River Meals on Wheels continue to provide an important lifeline to local seniors and homebound adults, from Parachute to New Castle. Empty Bowls’ link to CMC Rifle began in 2015 when ceramics instructor Michelle McCurdy offered to work with her students to provide those bowls, as her father was happy Grand River Meals on Wheels client.
Peck said demand for the program has grown by 1,200% in the last two decades. In 2024, Grand River Meals on Wheels prepared and delivered more than 25,000 fresh-cooked meals. The organization’s more than 100 local volunteers not only deliver food but also provide daily wellness checks and a source of meaningful social interaction and companionship to recipients. Those volunteers, with an average age of 72, take time out of their own days to participate; the Empty Bowls fundraising event helps keep the program going.
Other volunteers from Grand River Health’s medical staff, CMC Rifle and Alpine Bank will be on hand to assist during the lunch, with new event sponsorship from Boundaries Unlimited and Holy Cross Energy adding to four sponsors who support the event.
Empty Bowls will take place from 12-2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16 at the Grand River Health ballroom, 501 Airport Road, Rifle. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance or on the day of event at the Grand River Health Café, the Grand River Health gift shop or online through Eventbrite. For more information, call 970-625-6215.