{"id":141819,"date":"2026-01-28T23:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T23:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/141819\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T23:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T23:34:11","slug":"north-texas-food-bank-to-host-26th-annual-empty-bowls-fundraiser-feb-26-dallas-innovates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/141819\/","title":{"rendered":"North Texas Food Bank To Host 26th Annual Empty\u00a0Bowls Fundraiser Feb. 26 \u00bb Dallas Innovates"},"content":{"rendered":"

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North Texas Food Bank Perot Family Campus [Photo: North Texas Food Bank\/LinkedIn]<\/p>\n

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) will host its 26th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the nonprofit\u2019s Perot Family Campus in Plano.<\/p>\n

Presented by Kroger, the evening will feature tastings from leading local chefs, beverages, and the opportunity to take home a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted bowl created by local artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to mark the 26th year of Empty Bowls and the lasting impact this event has had in supporting our mission to close the hunger gap in North Texas,\u201d Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether with our presenting sponsor, Kroger, Empty Bowls has helped provide nearly 9 million meals for children, families, and seniors,\u201d she added. \u201cKroger\u2019s continued partnership, from food donations to financial support, plays an essential role in helping our neighbors get the food they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celeb chef, Texas Jazz Cats, silent auction, and more<\/p>\n

The event will be highlighted by live entertainment from the Texas Jazz Cats, a wine pull, and a silent auction. In addition to \u201cgreat food and entertainment,\u201d each guest can select a handcrafted bowl made by a local artisan to take home, which is meant to serve as a reminder that not everyone has access to a full bowl.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s featured celebrity chef is Nikky Phinyawatana, founder and chef of the Asian Mint restaurant group in the Dallas\u2013Fort Worth area. Known for her thoughtful approach to Thai cuisine, she has earned honors such as Dallas Eater\u2019s #1 Best Thai Food and a spot on CultureMap\u2019s Top 100 Restaurants list. In 2024, she debuted her cookbook,\u00a0Thai Food and Travel with Chef Nikky. She launched her own signature sauces, now available at Asian Mint locations, online, and at Central Market stores throughout Dallas.<\/p>\n

NTFB said that Phinyawatana\u2019s passion for \u201csharing bold flavors and authentic experiences brings a special energy to this year\u2019s Empty Bowls event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Number of Texans facing hunger remains high<\/p>\n

Empty Bowls shines light on the fact that hunger is real in North Texas, and \u201cit takes all of us working together to make a difference,\u201d NTFB said.<\/p>\n

Proceeds from Empty Bowls directly support the North Texas Food Bank\u2019s hunger relief programs at a time when need remains high. Texas continues to rank first nationally in the number of people facing hunger. Nearly 744,000 individuals across NTFB\u2019s 12-county service area face food insecurity, unsure of their next meal. About one-third of those impacted are children.<\/p>\n

\u201cKroger is proud to continue our support of Empty Bowls as the presenting sponsor,\u201d said John Votava, Director of Corporate Affairs for Kroger\u2019s Dallas Division. \u201cThrough our Zero Hunger Zero Waste commitment, we work year-round with the North Texas Food Bank to provide families across North Texas with access to the fresh, nutritious food and resources they need when they need it the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets for the 21-and-over event are $100 and are available here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss what\u2019s next. Subscribe\u00a0to\u00a0Dallas\u00a0Innovates.<\/p>\n

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\tR E A D\u00a0\u00a0 N E X T\t<\/p>\n

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Sprinkled all around NorthPark, the 29th annual CANstruction Dallas design-and-build exhibit features 26 science-fiction-themed canned-food sculptures. The public decides on the winners by voting for their favorite and kicking in $5 for the North Texas Food Bank.<\/p>\n

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AI seem overwhelming? Just go to office hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Annam Manthiram will oversee NTFB\u2019s external engagement strategy, guiding philanthropy, marketing and communications, volunteer engagement, and public policy initiatives.<\/p>\n

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Could passing the offering basket become a thing of the past in places of worship? Can nonprofits rely on a third-party app to handle fundraising with one click? Givelify, a leading online and mobile giving platform, is doing its best to realize both. And it says that Dallas-Fort Worth alone has now surpassed $300 million in donations by using its services. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Givelify is led by Dallas-based co-founder and CEO Wale Mafolasire, a Nigerian immigrant who moved from Indiana to Dallas in 2017. While the company previously had a physical office in Dallas, today 20% of Givelify’s\u2026<\/p>\n

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Dallas Innovates, in partnership with the Dallas Regional Chamber, once again is recognizing the most innovative leaders in AI in Dallas-Fort Worth. From visionaries and mavericks to transformers and academics, AI 75’s class of 2025 are the AI pacesetters you need to know now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"North Texas Food Bank Perot Family Campus [Photo: North Texas Food Bank\/LinkedIn] The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[59683,6246,59684,20223,59685,160,162,161,59686],"class_list":["post-141819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-empty-bowls","tag-food-insecurity","tag-john-votava","tag-north-texas-food-bank","tag-ntfb","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-trisha-cunningham"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}