Winchester has hosted an Empty Bowls fundraiser to support Clark County Community Services for nine years, but Friday’s event was a first for the campaign for hunger awareness.

According to organizer Ruthi Skinner, the lunch planned to last from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. was ended shortly after noon when all of the more than 300 bowls made for the event had been purchased.

“This is the first time that’s happened,” Skinner said. “If people want to take part next year they will need to be sure to come early.”

The sale brought in about $5,000, according to CCCS Director Debbie Fatkin. All leftover food was donated to the Beacon of Hope Emergency Shelter on the Bypass.

In Winchester, Empty Bowls is a culmination of several volunteer groups coming together in support of a local cause. The bowls were made by Carvel and Ashley Norman of Dirty South Pottery. Homemade rolls to be served with a simple vegetarian soup are made by Molly Stotts of My Father’s Garden, the food is served by volunteers from Clark County 4-H and the George Rogers Clark High School JROTC students direct parking. In addition, the event is hosted at First Presbyterian Church.

Empty Bowls is a hunger awareness campaign that began more than 25 years ago in North Carolina. Participants pay for a handmade bowl filled with a basic vegetarian soup recipe and a piece of homemade bread, and then dine together as a community while remembering those who struggle to find food.