LIFE Food Pantry Empty Bowls Event Brings Success and Hope
Photos courtesy of Jana Hambley. Sponsor PDFs courtesy of Karen Watts.
The annual Empty Bowl’s fundraiser supporting LIFE (Loveland InterFaith Effort) Food Pantry was held on Saturday September 25, 2026 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
The Empty Bowls event is in its fifth year in Loveland, and is the biggest fundraiser held by LIFE food pantry annually. LIFE Food pantry has served the Loveland Community since 1988. It provides food to hundreds of local families, stocks snack shelves in area schools for children experiencing food insecurity, and offers emergency financial assistance to individuals and families facing crisis.
Hundreds of supporters attended over the two lunch seatings that were held. At the luncheon, community members who had purchased a ticket, enjoyed a soup and sandwich lunch, and took home a beautiful, hand-crafted pottery bowl, made by a local artist.
Pastor Hannah Bockbrader, a clergy member from Prince of Peace and event volunteer states that she “loves the Empty Bowl fundraiser because it’s an opportunity to bring different areas of the community together!” She appreciates “the potters and artists, local restaurants, high schoolers… and volunteers from all over the community (who) come together to help LIFE Food Pantry.”
Empty Bowls is an international grassroots movement that began in 1990 to raise awareness and funds for local organizations fighting hunger. The event brings together the time and talents of many people in the community. Local artists donate their pottery artwork bowls in support of the meal. Many local restaurants donated soups, sandwiches, desserts, and drinks; while other local businesses donated gift cards and other items for raffle prizes.
Loveland Youth also took part in the events. For entertainment during the luncheon, the Loveland High School String Orchestra students performed several pieces of music. After the meal, local football players helped clean up, and replace chairs and tables.
The fact that most of the supplies for the day are donated allows for LIFE Pantry to raise a significant amount of funds through the event. Carol Rountree, Executive Director of LIFE, reports that the 2026 event raised more than $21,000. This is truly a testament to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers. She reports that this year many community members attended the event for the first time and were impressed with how well-organized the event was. First-time attendees stated that, “the whole event was wonderful.” This sentiment was echoed by Rountree who reported that she felt the whole day was a success, and that she was grateful for the behind the scenes work of many volunteers whose dedication made this event such a special day.
As one volunteer, Brian Terry, summed up nicely, “the Empty Bowls event highlights the generosity and power of the Loveland community.”
For anyone experiencing food insecurity, LIFE Food Pantry can be contacted by: 513-583-8222. It is located at 677 Loveland Madeira Rd., Loveland, OH 45140, and is open 10-12 Tues -Sat and 4:30-6:30pm Tues-Thurs.
Comments