The eighth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser returns from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Sloan Convention Center to provide assistance for local food pantries.

The event has grown in each of its eight years, according to organizer Garry Taylor, and work for the 2020 edition has been underway for several months.

“We have been working … to reach out to the community to get donations of handmade ceramic bowls,” Taylor said.

“We have gotten bowls from Western Kentucky University, local high schools and members of the public who have taken classes at the local pottery studios or gone to a big bowl-making event that the public library sponsored back in December,” he said.

Expectations for this year’s event are high, with Taylor and the rest of the organization expecting more than 1,000 bowls to be on display.

“We are asking for a $15 donation,” Taylor said. “When they come in, they get to see all the bowls that will be on display and they get to pick out the one that is their favorite. After they have selected a bowl, we will serve them a meal of soup and a beverage and dessert.”

Attendees get to take the bowl they selected home with them.

“It serves as a reminder to them that they have made a difference in the life of someone right here in our community who would otherwise be looking at an empty bowl at meal time,” Taylor said.

The idea to bring the Empty Bowls event to Bowling Green came while Taylor lived in New Hampshire.

“That is when I got started back into doing pottery as a hobby,” Taylor said. “During that time, I learned about Empty Bowls events. They are actually held all over the world. It was an event that got started by an art teacher in the 1980s. As I think with a lot of potters, the idea just clicked with me. I had done work to help charities before and it seemed like a nice fit.”

After Taylor returned to Bowling Green, he said he felt the community involvement would result in a good reception for Empty Bowls.

“In the first year, we had 200 bowls and we honestly had no idea how many people would show up,” he said. “We planned on being open for four hours to give people a chance to come in and sell all the bowls. We ran out of bowls in the first hour. The next year, we had 400 bowls and we sold out again. We have gotten more bowls ever since and we are now at the Sloan Convention Center because we have had so many people.”

Taylor said it is “exhilarating” and “inspiring” to see the turnout grow each year.

“The fact that we are getting more bowls every year means that more people are getting involved and wanting to help solve this problem,” he said. “Right now, one in six adults in Warren County don’t know where their next meal is going to come from and it is one in five with kids.”

For the first time, tickets will be available to purchase online at emptybowlsbg.com.

There are still volunteer spots available as well. Taylor said the main help is needed with cleanup at the end of the night.

Those interested in volunteering may visit the Empty Bowls website.

“It says a great thing about Bowling Green that we have so many people getting involved to help their neighbors,” Taylor said.