Potters lined the docks at Ventura Harbor Village this weekend, trading handmade bowls for $30 donations that doubled as tickets to a harbor-wide tasting tour. The fifth annual Bowl of Thanks & Ventura Pottery Market ran Saturday and Sunday, with proceeds flowing to Food Share of Ventura County, the region's food bank. Members of the Ventura County Potter's Guild filled tables with mugs, ornaments, platters and more, giving shoppers plenty of options beyond the signature bowls.
A Bowl That Comes With Dinner
According to News Channel 3-12, each bowl purchased included tastings at restaurants around the harbor, among them The Greek, Andria's Seafood and Brophy Bros. The event continued Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving latecomers a final chance to pick out a piece and fill a passport with bites from the waterfront eateries. Organizers at Ventura Harbor Village describe the gathering as a two-day waterfront event featuring more than 20 local ceramic artists, presented by the Ventura County Potters' Guild.
The $30 donation covered more than just a bowl to take home. Per the venue's event listing, that donation also came with a passport for free tastings at participating harbor restaurants, though only 300 tasting passports were made available each day. Admission to browse the pottery market itself remained free, meaning visitors could stop by to shop without making a donation at all.
Last Year's Haul Set a High Bar
The fundraiser has grown steadily since it began. In 2025, more than 800 bowls were donated, raising over $21,000 for Food Share and helping provide more than 60,000 meals, according to the same event listing from Ventura Harbor Village. That marks a jump from an earlier edition of the event, when the fourth annual Bowl of Thanks — organized by the Ventura County Potter's Guild and Food Share of Ventura County, according to The Foothill Dragon Press — sold bowls for $25 each, with all proceeds benefiting Food Share. That fundraiser brought in $13,000 in a single day, with more than 300 bowls sold the following day, the outlet reported.
The need behind the event stretches across the county. Ventura County has a lower food insecurity rate than California and the nation overall, but almost 70,000 local residents face uncertain or limited access to adequate nutritious food, according to the Ventura County Human Services Agency. The agency points to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap report as a tool for exploring hunger trends across the state.
For shoppers who missed this weekend's market, the Ventura County Potter's Guild and Ventura Harbor Village typically post updates and future event details through the harbor's website, giving residents another chance to pick up a handmade bowl and help chip away at those numbers next year.
