Grand Marais, Minn. — Two organizations with a long history of serving Cook County are joining forces to strengthen the community’s food access system.
Empty Bowls—Cook County and Vital North Foundation have announced a strategic alliance that will provide Empty Bowls with support while allowing the program to continue operating under its trusted name and mission. As part of the partnership, Vital North Foundation will provide accounting, administrative, and organizational support, allowing Empty Bowls volunteers to focus on what they do best: raising funds to fight hunger in Cook County. Community members can donate directly to the Empty Bowls program via the Vital North Foundation website: vitalnorth.org/donate, or by check to Vital North/ Empty Bowls: PO Box 454, Grand Marais, MN, 55604.
“Last year, Vital North made a long-term commitment to reducing hunger and strengthening the food access system in Cook County by providing strategic support to the committed programs and volunteers already doing this important work. Our partnership with Empty Bowls is about strengthening a program that has become an essential part of Cook County,” said Anna Cariad-Barrett, Executive Director of Vital North Foundation. “Empty Bowls has grown tremendously over the past two decades. By providing this support, Vital North is helping ensure the program can continue serving the community for years to come.”
Since 2006, the annual Empty Bowls soup event, bake sale, and handmade bowl sale has raised critical funds to combat food insecurity in Cook County. Organized in partnership with the Grand Marais Art Colony, local restaurants, artists, volunteers, and businesses, the event has raised an increasing amount each year to address hunger needs across the community.
The 2026 Empty Bowls fundraiser Soup Event will take place on Tuesday, September 22 at the Cook County Community Center. Lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by dinner from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Guests can enjoy a variety of homemade soups, purchase handcrafted pottery bowls created by local artists, and browse an assortment of baked goods, with all proceeds supporting hunger relief efforts throughout Cook County.
In 2026, $200,000 was raised and granted to community organizations to help people face-to-face with food access. Next year’s grant applications are due in March 2027.
Last year’s donations supported 39 nonprofits and all Cook County schools working to ensure children, families, and older adults have access to nutritious food. Organizations served include Birch Grove Community School and Saplings, Cook County Public Health and Human Services, Community Education / ECFE, Cooperation Station Daycare, Great Expectations School Lunch/Snack Program, Oshki Ogimaag Charter School food program, Grand Portage Headstart, Elderly Nutrition Program, Violence Prevention Center, Northwoods Daycare, and Step Up Daycare, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Gift Tree, The Hub, and Operation Family Christmas. ISD 166 teachers received food cards to help buy snacks, as did the nurse, Athletics, and Special Education.
The alliance represents one component of Vital North Foundation’s Nourish Cook County Initiative to strengthen Cook County’s food access system. By expanding administrative capacity behind an already successful program, the partnership will help increase sustainability, broaden community impact, and ensure resources continue reaching families when they are needed most.
The relationship is symbiotic: In 2026, Empty Bowls donated $20,000 to Vital North Foundation to support Pack & Pantry, a program that provides weekly groceries and food vouchers to Cook County children 18 and under. Through its summer program, Pack & Pantry also supported 63 Cook County families with children with $600 in grocery store gift cards to bridge the hunger gap while school is not in session.
“Empty Bowls is very excited to work with Vital North to add professional services and continuity and let the volunteers do what they do best,” said Beth Rogers Kennedy, chair of Empty Bowls since 2014.
Founded in 1993, Vital North Foundation—formerly the North Shore Health Care Foundation— works to improve the health and well-being of Cook County residents through collaboration, innovation, and community investment. Through innovative initiatives and partnerships with local organizations, Vital North is committed to developing sustainable, community-driven solutions to Cook County’s most pressing health-related challenges.
Find information about Vital North Foundation at vitalnorth.org/
