Empty bowls were filled twice on Sunday:
Once with soup, and a second time with money.
The second annual Empty Bowls Schoharie County packed the Best Western on Sunday, with participants enjoying soup and supporting food pantries at the same time.
Earlier this year, students, civic groups, business people, artists and others painted the bowls. On Sunday, more than 500 of the bowls filled the pool area at the Best Western.
Visitors could buy a bowl, then get soup provided by more than 25 participating restaurants in the banquet room.
The first-year event in 2011 raised a little under $4,000. This year's Empty Bowls raised $4,200, "and there may be more," said Jacqui Hauser.
Ms. Hauser worked with Erynne Ansel-McCabe and Julia Walter to organize Empty Bowls.
"I was very happy with it," Ms. Hauser said. "It combined community service with a nice community experience.
"People want to help and think of other people. We can do that."
An army of volunteers helped serve the soup, wait on tables and generally keep the three-hour event moving smoothly.
"We had volunteers lined up, and then people just showed up at 8:30 to help," Ms. Hauser said. "Everybody pitched in."