For $25 and a couple hours on a Saturday, Loveland residents can eat soup out of a handmade pottery bowl and help feed neighbors who can't afford their next meal.

The Loveland Interfaith Effort (LIFE) Food Pantry will host its fifth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser luncheon on Saturday, September 26, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 101 S. Lebanon Road. Two seatings are available: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Each ticket includes a handcrafted pottery bowl made by local artists, soup donated by area restaurants, bread, dessert, and a beverage. Guests keep the bowl.

The event has raised nearly $65,000 over its first four years. Last year's luncheon drew more than 400 guests. All event proceeds go to LIFE Food Pantry, which spends 89 cents of every dollar on direct food assistance and receives no federal, state, or local government funding.

Why it matters

One in 10 Loveland residents faces food insecurity, according to LIFE Food Pantry's website. The pantry, which has operated since 1988 out of its location at 677 Loveland Madeira Road, served 949 adults, 550 children, and 494 households in a single month, according to its website. Each month, LIFE stocks snack shelves in area schools for children experiencing food insecurity and offers emergency financial assistance to families in crisis.

The Empty Bowls concept started in 1990 as a Michigan art-class project and has since spread worldwide as a hunger-relief fundraiser.

How to get involved

Tickets are $25 per person. Sponsorships for the 2026 event are open. LIFE is also seeking gift cards of $25 or more and donated items for raffle baskets, which will feature goods from local businesses and community partners. Details are available at the pantry's website, lifefoodpantry.org.