An event scheduled for this month is a reminder that there are many people with empty bowls, with nothing to put in them, said Carol Boyd, chairwoman of the Carroll County Soup Kitchen’s biggest fundraiser.

“All money raised goes to the soup kitchen,” Boyd said Monday. “Last year, we raised about $24,400 with the event.”

The eighth annual Empty Bowls lunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the Carroll County Ag Center, 900 Newnan Road, Carrollton. The suggested donation is $10 per bowl. People can come, dine and go during the three-hour event.

The bowls are made and donated by several groups and individuals. Local chefs and restaurants donate the soup. Sponsorships for $100 and more are available.

“We usually have about 1,000 bowls donated each year,” Boyd said. “We have a lot of ceramic artists and we also do workshops with Scouts, church and university groups. The groups learn simple techniques for making bowls.”

The lunch will include entertainment by Christian Montcriol, with traditional French music, and Mimi Gentry and the Lowell Opry House Band. Singers from Carrollton High School Show Choir will also perform.

A silent auction will be held with items donated by local artists. These items may include pottery, jewelry, paintings and sculptures and other mediums, Boyd said.

The Carroll County Soup Kitchen, 345 Beulah Road, Carrollton, provides meals the last full week of the month and Monday and Thursday of every week, from 11 a.m. to noon.

The soup kitchen serves more than 3,670 hot meals each month.

All soup kitchen workers are volunteers and much of the food is donated by schools, churches, civic organizations and individuals.

“The annual cost to run the kitchen is about $100,000 to $120,000 per year,” said soup kitchen director Bobbye Jean Warford.

“We’re so pleased that the community has responded so well to this fundraiser,” Boyd said. “The needs of the food kitchen has grown in the last few years.”