A line weaved out the door and into the Rome Civic Center parking lot for the ninth annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for Action Ministries-Rome on Tuesday evening.

Inside, homemade bowls of different shapes and in different hues created by Rome potters sat on the shelves waiting to go home with those who bought a ticket to the event.

Participants also enjoyed soup and salad and cookies donated by local restaurants.

The event sold out just like all the years before, said Jeri Jankosky, one of the potters that donated bowls and the chairperson for this year’s event.

“Rome has just really embraced this as you can tell by the crowd,” she said. “Each and every year we have sold out.”

This year’s event raised more than $9,000, said Wright Ledbetter, president of the Rome Area Council for the Arts..

“Because of the generosity of the sponsors, the restaurants, the potters and the attendees, all of that goes to Rome Action Ministries,” he said.

Tesa DuPre started the annual fundraiser nine years ago. Last year’s event raised more than $8,000 that was donated to the William S. Davies Homeless Shelter.

“About $53,000 has been raised for the charities,” Jankosky said. “The bowls will remind people that there are lots of hungry people.”

Lisa Brown Ingram is one of the potters who donated her time and art to the event. She said it takes about a month to create a bowl from clay until it is finished.

“I look forward to it every year,” she said. “It’s just fun to mix together such a good cause with something I love so much like pottery.”

Sponsors for the event were the City of Rome, Earthworks Pottery, Garner and Glover, the Greater Rome Visitors and Convention Bureau, Harvest Moon Cafe, Rome Area Council for the Arts, Rome Paper Company and Southeastern Mills.