On The Rise

Empty Bowls 2026🥣🚨TICKETS ARE NOW LIVE🚨

Check out our incredible list of partnering restaurants! These amazing local spots are donating soup and bread to make this event extra special. We have many favorites returning and some new restaurants joining such as !

Join us for a night of great food, community and impact on Saturday, March 28th at First Street Market! Every ticket supports On The Rise’s work with women, transgender and nonbinary people facing homelessness. Plus, you’ll take home a beautiful handmade bowl, a reminder of a great day and an excellent cause 💖🥣

🎟️Purchase your tickets now before they sell out… link in bio!

Thank you so much for choosing On the Rise as your beneficiary for this years Giving@First! Read more about this special event down below and click the website linked in the post to donate and obtain more details about the performance

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Six short plays were written, rehearsed, and performed within just 25 hours! It is a unique opportunity for our troupe to show off their abilities under pressure, and a unique opportunity to give to a good cause and enjoy a night of truly original theatre.

All proceeds collected at this event will be given to On The Rise, which creates a safe and supportive community that fosters self-determination and wellbeing for women, transgender, and nonbinary people on their journey through and beyond homelessness.

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Website: https://www.theatreatfirst.org/past-productions/special-projects/givingfirst/givingfirst-2026

Thank you for spending 2025 supporting On the Rise 🌟 Your generosity, time, and commitment made this year one of growth, connection, and meaningful moments for our community.
January ❄️
We kicked off the year with creativity and intention as participants designed 2025 vision boards, reflecting on their hopes, goals, and aspirations for the year ahead.
February💕
Love was in the air! February featured our Annual Board of Directors Meeting, a hands-on pottery class followed by a team lunch, and a much-needed participant spa day to relax and recharge.
March🥣
March brought our annual Empty Bowls event. We are deeply grateful to our board members and sponsors for helping make this meaningful and impactful event possible.
April🌧️
As spring arrived, we welcomed fresh energy with an all-staff training, focusing on learning, collaboration, and continued growth.
May🌸
In May, we honored Mother’s Day at OTR by creating heartfelt cards. We also celebrated a proud moment for our community as Community Advocate Erin received the inaugural Jane Doe Inc. Advocate Excellence Award.
June☀️
In June we participated in the Kendall Square Challenge, hosted a highly successful Open House, and were honored to be the featured nonprofit partner at the Moonbox New Works Festival.
July⛱️
Our annual Summer Cookout brought everyone together for good food, great company, and a joyful celebration of summer.
August😎
August was all about creativity and staying cool. Participants enjoyed crafting friendship bracelets and felting while making the most of the final weeks of summer.
September🍂
Fall fun filled September with apple picking, baking apple crisps, and celebrating Joy Day as we welcomed the new season together.
October🎃
October was a busy and festive month at OTR, featuring Preparing for Winter Dinner, Spooky Spa Days, and a fun-filled Halloween Costume Contest.
November🦃
We entered the holiday season with gratitude during our Thanksgiving Feast, reflecting on all there was to be thankful for in 2025.
December🎁
We closed out the year with crafts, a toy drive supported by our incredible volunteers and our annual Holiday Party.
We look forward to all 2026 has to offer!

Last week, our community came together in the Memorial Garden at 341 Broadway to honor six On The Rise participants who passed away this year.

At the heart of our work is the belief that everyone deserves to be remembered — that dignity, connection, and belonging don’t end with a person’s passing. Our annual ceremony is a space to hold memory and meaning, and this year we reflected together on “The Last Thing” by Ada Limón, a poem about the beauty of life’s smallest shared moments.

We’re so grateful to those who helped create a beautiful and healing gathering:

- and , for the flowers.

- Reverend Matt Potts, for his compassionate blessings.

- Miki Sawada of , for sharing music to open and close the space.

- Our community of cooks and bakers — including and — for the refreshments.

Thank you for showing us what community truly means.