When St. John Neumann Church opened its doors for the Empty Bowls fund raiser Friday evening, April 17, about 50 people were already lined up to get in, Linda Strup said.

"By 5:30, we had them pressing at the doors," said Mary Narayan, who, 15 minutes later, was delaying people at the door to prevent overcrowding.

This is the second year that the Reston-based Giving Circle of Hope, of which Strup and Narayan are founding members, hosted the fund raiser to benefit Food for Others. Last year’s event had brought in more than 400 people and raised $17,000 for the charity. This year’s was even bigger.

The fund raiser brings together local potters who donate handmade bowls, local businesses that donate the soup to fill those bowls, as well as other food, and Reston residents, who buy a ticket to choose from hundreds of bowls and sit down for a hot meal with their neighbors. Area Girl Scouts help serve the meals.

"It’s a great community-building thing because people in Reston don’t see each other all the time," said Strup, adding that the event also relied on the cooperation and generosity of various groups.

Giving Circle of Hope is a nonprofit made up of more than 100 local women who raise money among themselves and in the community to donate to charitable causes and also run several volunteer programs. Empty Bowls is one of the organization’s two annual fund-raisers.

This year, more than 500 people attended the event, and it raised more than $21,000 for Food for Others. Strup said 500 people had been considered full capacity for the 2 1/2-hour event, as the dining hall could only seat about 240.

"This event brings in a lot of money for Food for Others, and all the work is done by the Giving Circle," said Roxanne Rice, executive director of Food for Others. "We have a very small staff, but this type of help allows us to work at our primary mission of feeding people in need, as opposed to holding special events."

The organization is the largest distributor of free food directly to the needy in Northern Virginia, dispensing about 2 million pounds of food per year, Rice said. Since most of the food is donated, the organization’s primary expense is paying for staff to pick up and deliver food. Rice said each dollar collected in cash enables the pickup and delivery of six meals worth of food.

Food for Others also was the beneficiary of the food baskets that acted as centerpieces on the dining tables. These were all prepared and donated by local groups, ranging from families to Brownie troops, offices, neighborhoods, Mah Jong clubs and others, Strup said. "We needed 30 and we got over 70."

The Girl Scouts helped at Empty Bowls last year, and they were back again this year, helping guests carry their food and find seats, filling drinks, busing tables, emptying trash and chatting with diners. "They’re basically doing everything that needs to be done," said Deborah Miles, who organized the Scouts for the event.

Girls from five local troops were in attendance.

"The girls love it," she said. "They all go home not only with a good feeling from helping but it’s also entertaining."

"They’re wonderful because they’re so helpful," Strup said of the Girl Scout volunteers.