An annual fundraiser where the community unites to share a great meal for a good cause returns to Northampton later this month.

The annual Soups and Scoops event, which raises money for the Northampton Area Food Bank and food pantries within schools in the Northampton Area School District, will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 19 in the Northampton Area Middle School cafeteria, 1617 Laubach Ave.

“This is a community meal that brings people together to fight food insecurity in the community,” said Holly Weitknecht, Northampton Area High School art teacher. “All of the bowls are handmade by students, teachers and staff at the middle school and the high school.”

On the night of the meal, attendees can enjoy soups, salads and ice cream in the handmade bowls. They can then take the bowls home. People can also enjoy live music and other activities during the event.

“It brings people together to use their skills and creativity to help address a problem in the community,” Weitknecht said. “I love seeing the camaraderie between students and staff working together to make their bowls.”

Inspiration for Soups and Scoops came from the national Empty Bowls initiative, said Erin Miller, NAMS art teacher.

According to its website, Empty Bowls is a grassroots effort where artisans make bowls that are then used for serving soups and ice creams, with proceeds benefiting food insecurity in communities.

Northampton’s first Soups and Scoops event occurred in 2018.

“After we heard about it and decided we wanted to try this, we made some bowls and organized the first one very quickly within a couple of months,” Miller said. “The event raised way more money than we initially expected, and everyone loved it. We knew then we needed to continue the event and grow it each year.”

While COVID-19 paused the event for a period of time, it has continued to grow since returning. Last year, the event raised around $7,000, according to the event website.

Soups and Scoops involves not just the middle and high school art classes, but the entire community.

Along with making bowls for the event, students at the middle school are creating place mats with visual recipes and recipe books, while elementary school students work on decorations and items like spoon rests and centerpieces, Miller said.

Weitknecht added students and staff also volunteer on the night of the event, and a number of local businesses provide donations to help make the event happen.

“We are so grateful and appreciative for all of the support we receive each year,” Weitknecht said. “It would never happen at all without so many people and without our local businesses. They are wonderful.”

Both Miller and Weitknecht called Soups and Scoops one of the most rewarding things they have been a part of in their careers.

“For kids to see that their artwork can change and do something really positive is just one of the coolest things,” Miller said. “This is showing them how if they are using the skills that they are learning in school and applying it, they are actually being able to impact the world around them.”

Around 300 bowls will be available to take home at this year’s event, and people can also attend and share in the meal without purchasing a bowl, they said.

Tickets that include the bowl to take home are $20, while non-bowl tickets are $10. They can be purchased in advance through the NAMS website via nasdschools.org. There are a limited number of bowl tickets available.

For more information, contact Miller at millere@nasdschools.org or Weitknecht at weitkneh@nasdschools.org.