Thousands of people filled the Hawai‘i Convention Center on Saturday for the return of the Empty Bowl fundraiser, where guests selected handmade bowls crafted by local potters and enjoyed soups donated by more than a dozen restaurants.

For many, it was a joyful community celebration — a tradition paused for years during the pandemic. But the event’s beneficiaries say the symbolism is as urgent as ever: too many bowls in Hawaii remain empty. Nonprofits warned that hunger in Hawaii is worsening under the combined pressures of inflation, high grocery costs and federal funding cuts that are straining their ability to serve.

Among those helping at the fundraiser was Carilyn Carmen, 17, a senior at Waipahu High School. She worked the booth for The Pig &The Lady, serving Canh Hua — a Vietnamese

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