SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Meghan Perin, 5, holds a heart-shaped bowl made by ‘Brisilda,’ from Charlotte High School, for the Empty Bowls benefit.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Cari Bowen found a green pitcher-shaped bowl to match her kitchen while Jan Patica chose a blue bowl from the many tables of bowls made for the Empty Bowls benefit.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Liberty Elementary School teacher and founder of the Empty Bowls Joann Winkler joins her student volunteers for a photo.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Donna Sanford was already putting her frog-shaped bowl she chose to good use, which was holding her other bowl of pumpkin squash soup.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Bowls of soup in hand, Debbie McMullen, Miranda Fields, joined by Natalie Lashway, Bob Keating and Jill Ferguson, a few members of Charlotte Leadership Class of 2013 who came out to support the Empty Bowls event.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Two bowls per tray, one hand-made clay bowl to take home and one filled with soup, Dan Douglas, Don Nemetz and Bill Martin come through the food line.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Sebastian Viteri, 17, a student at Edison Collegiate High School, and Evan Flores, 13, from Punta Gorda Middle School, volunteered to dip soup for the Empty Bowls benefit.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Joette Maynard, Blayne Selley, 15, Lauren Clark, 15, Haley Dionisio, 15, Elise Clark, 17, and Alexis Halas, 17, show off the bowls they chose to take home from the Empty Bowls event.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Ginger Miller and Gabriela Moulton look over a group of bowls made by Liberty Elementary School students. They were having a hard time deciding on a bowl to take home in exchange for their entry ticket.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Angel Connor, 10, adds to the collage painting of Sparkles the Clown set up in the entryway to this year's Empty Bowls.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Abbi Wessels, 17, and Bri Burkhart, 16, students from Port Charlotte High School check out a few of the bowls made by Charlotte High School students.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
L.A. Ainger Middle School teacher Mary Murnighan shows off a bowl made by a Punta Gorda Middle School student.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
These boys, Alec Ronald, 10, Rylan Matos, 11, Jovani Santana, 10, and Erik Ronald, 8, worked the elementary school tables filled with hand-made bowls.

SUN PHOTO BY BETSY WILLIAMS
Oblivious to all the excitement around her, Leigh Morrison was enjoying the chicken and rice soup from Phil’s 41 while at the 13th annual Empty Bowls benefit held Tuesday evening for the first time at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County. “It’s just so good,” Morrison said between sips. Hundreds were also enjoying the variety of soups from a number of local restaurants that donated for the Empty Bowls event. Proceeds support the Charlotte County Homeless Student Program, The Charlotte County Homeless Coalition, Good Samaritans and the Yah Yah Girls’ Back Pack Kidz to continue preventing hunger in our community.