(PALM BEACH, FLA) – On a perfect day for soup, Empty Bowls Palm Beach welcomed a record-breaking crowd of approximately 750 guests to Bethesda-by-the-Sea on Feb. 6 for its 13th annual event in support of hunger relief efforts across Palm Beach County, benefiting the Palm Beach County Food Bank. Organizers were proud to see the community turn out in such strong numbers for the largest Empty Bowls Palm Beach to date. The event served as a powerful reminder to “eat simply, so others can simply eat,” while raising $182,000 to help ensure neighbors in need have access to nutritious food by providing 910,000 meals.
 
Empty Bowls is a national grassroots movement that raises funds and awareness for hunger relief. At the Palm Beach event, guests gathered to enjoy tastings generously donated by an exceptional group of local restaurants and clubs, including Bath and Tennis Club, The Beach Club, The Breakers Palm Beach, BrickTop’s Palm Beach, Cafe Joshua at The Lord’s Place, Cafe L’Europe, Club Colette, The Colony Hotel, E.R. Bradley’s Saloon, The Everglades Club, Field of Greens, Gourmet Galaxy, Grato, Le Bilboquet, Old School Bakery, Paradiso, Pistache, Prezzo Italian Restaurant and Bar, Renato’s, Sailfish Club, TooJay’s and Trevini.
 
Celebrity servers and community leaders in attendance included Eileen Acello, Madeline Andrews, Bill Baccaglini, Warren Belmar, Rev. Susan Beebe, Rev. Jeff Beebe, Canyon Berry, Nancy Bolton, Charlotte Carl, Ed Carter, Jessica Cecere, Lew Crampton, Victoria DeCardenas, Bill Eyre, Katharine Eyre, Matt Eversman, Chris Flowers, Anne Flowers, Mariano Garcia, Nancy Goodes, Sara Griffen, Stacy Hallinan, Pam Kamor, Sally Kimble, Franny LaRue, Marti LaTour, Rev. Rob Lofberg, Cecil Lundy, Taruna Malhotra, Jeff Marshall, Bridget Moran, The Hon. Danielle Moore, Denise Marie Nieman, Rev. Norris, Frances Peyton, Bob Pedrazza, Gene Pressman, Carol Price, Michael Pucillo, Rev. Elizabeth Rankin, Lindsay Reinhert, Rabbi Michael Resnik, Rev.Tim Schenck, Eric Schwartz, Rev. Tara Shepley, Chef Jeff Simms, The Hon. Lesly Smith, Paul Spencer and Obilio Wish.
 
“Families across Palm Beach County continue to feel the strain of rising food costs and economic uncertainty,” said Jamie Kendall, CEO of the Palm Beach County Food Bank. “Empty Bowls Palm Beach is a meaningful way for our community to come together and help ensure that our most vulnerable neighbors have access to the nutritious food they need. Events like this allow neighbors to help neighbors in a very real and lasting way.”
 
With approximately 192,000 food-insecure residents throughout Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County Food Bank procures food from grocery stores, farmers, food distributors, wholesalers and other sources and distributes it to more than 200 local community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens and schools. In 2025, the Food Bank distributed more than 10.6 million meals to over 193,000 residents experiencing hunger. The organization has been honored with several accolades, including the Chamber of the Palm Beaches Health and Human Services Organization of the Year and the Community Collaborator Award at the 8th Annual Nonprofits First Hats Off Awards.
 
The Palm Beach County Food Bank extends its sincere gratitude to the sponsors whose generosity made the 13th annual Empty Bowls Palm Beach possible. Presenting sponsors included Anne and Chris Flowers and an anonymous donor. Platinum Ladle sponsors were The Leo Rosner Foundation/Bill Robbins,Nancy Goodes and Nancy and Paul Zarcadoolas. Gold Ladle sponsors included Ed Carter, Debbie and Michael Pucillo, and Velocity Community Credit Union. Silver Ladle sponsors included Dole, DSS Incorporated, The Josephberg Family, Italcrust, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, PDS Wealth Management, Resilience Communications, Searcy Law and First Horizon Bank. In-kind sponsors included Old School Bakery and Picasso’s Creative Workshop. Palm Beach Illustrated served as the event’s media sponsor.
 
For more information on this signature event, please visit pbcfoodbank.org/emptybowlspalmbeach or call 561-670-2518. To support the food assistance programs, please email info@pbcfoodbank.org or call 561-670-2518.
About the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea
The Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea believes in serving those in need, around the corner and around the world, it is integral to our life of faith. As Jesus reminds us, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.’ Through the Church Mouse and The Bethesda Bookshop, Bethesda realizes substantial revenue to support our outreach efforts. This financial support is augmented with countless volunteer hours of involvement. Our first priority is education. We believe that proper education not only changes the trajectory of one child’s life but also changes the trajectory of generations to follow. Our second priority is food. Twenty percent of the residents in Palm Beach County are food insecure. Our third priority is shelter. We believe that the financial support of agencies with expertise in this work is the most effective use of our resources.