Attendees flocked to Empty Bowls Monongalia’s Annual Soup and Bread Luncheon on Saturday at Mylan Park.
Within the first hour, volunteers served soup to an estimated 750 guests. There were soups from area restaurants served in ceramic, hand-painted bowls.
Two lines formed at the front of the Hazel & J.W. Community Center. Mike Miller, one of the volunteers for the luncheon, said the lines separated guests into two categories: Those who had bought their tickets beforehand and those who sought to purchase tickets at the event.
Beyond the lines, 78 tables we set up in the community center.
Miller said about 750 people were served by noon — just one hour into the 3-hour event.
“It’s an incredible community event,” Miller said.
Roughly 16,000 individuals in Monongalia County are food insecure, and the funds raised at this event help support agencies and organizations providing direct services to help combat food insecurity.
The luncheon has regularly attracted more than 1,000 attendees, and volunteers have doled out hundreds of gallons of soup.
