Leon Donnenberg, 90, only had to come from across the street, but new mother Lexxie Owen traveled from Kittanning, the Armstrong County seat some 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, with 4-month-old Mia. Emcee Larry Berger said he also talked to attendees from State College and Florida.

The attraction was the 15th annual Empty Bowls Dinner, a fundraiser for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Just Harvest, held at the Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside.

By the end of the five-hour event, some 1,500 people were expected to buy the $20 tickets and, in return, get a bowl of soup, bread and the right to take home one of hundreds of hand-crafted bowls. The food was donated by restaurants and caterers, while both professional and amateur potters from around the region made and donated the bowls.

Mr. Berger, host of "The Saturday Light Brigade" radio show, thought there might be more than the usual 1,500-person attendance this year, and there was evidence he was right.

Though there were several lines, people were waiting about 15 minutes to choose from a variety of soups. Others bumped into one another trying to pick out their hand-crafted bowls from the many tables. The Rodef Shalom parking lot was filled well before the doors opened, spilling cars into WQED's lot across Fifth Avenue and along neighboring side streets.

"I've emceed, I think, all 15, and I've never seen this long of a line [for soup], at least not at the beginning," Mr. Berger said about 45 minutes into the event. "I've watched it grow and grow every year, and it's a real testament to this area. ... It's a sunny day and there are all kinds of other activities going on."

"It's a good cause, the crafts are very nice, and we belong to Rodef," said Albert Donnenberg, 59, of Shadyside, Leon's son and a scientist at the Hillman Cancer Center. Leon's wife, Edith; Albert's wife, Vera; and their son, Noah, also were attending what Albert Donnenberg said was their fifth Empty Bowls Dinner.

The event had religious significance for Mary Ann Hvizdos, 61, of Regent Square.

"I have come to almost every Empty Bowl," she said. "This is one of my highlights for the Lenten season. It makes me realize how much I do have in comparison to those who don't have much."

In addition to the food, the take-home bowls and the warm feeling that comes from contributing to a good cause, there were strolling violinists, Steven Vance and Barb Lowenstein, who drew smiles with her music from "Fiddler on the Roof," and a strolling magician, Robbie Wise.

Celebrities such as David Johnson of WPXI, Andrew Stockey of WTAE, Marty Griffin and Kristine Sorensen Griffin, both of KDKA, served soup, while David Newell -- Mr. McFeely from "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" -- greeted people as they came in.

A pre-event online auction of celebrity-autographed bowls that began March 1 continued at the dinner. Among them were bowls signed by Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, University of Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt and country music star Tim McGraw.

Take-home soups in large and small containers were on sale at $5 and $3, respectively. After the first half-hour, the sweet potato chipotle was sold out, and the sherry bisque and peanut chicken were going fast.

Commemorative T-shirts, a new feature at the event, were on sale for $10 each.

Joyce Rothermel, chief executive officer of the food bank, said it and Just Harvest last year raised $50,000, which they split.

Ken Regal of Just Harvest, who has been on the Empty Bowls committee since its inception, said the proceeds are a big part of his group's $450,000 annual budget.

The food bank's annual budget is $13 million, but, Ms. Rothermel said the awareness is just as important as the money. "We need thousands of volunteers for the food bank."

Many of the volunteers who manned soup lines and auction tables Sunday were employees of corporate sponsors. The sponsors included Fifth Third Bank, Hefren-Tillotson, Del Monte Foods, Giant Eagle, UPMC Health Plan, Comcast, FedEx Ground, WYEP-FM, Rodef Shalom and WPXI-TV.

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