The 7th Annual Empty Bowls Project of Good Samaritan Ministries will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24 at the Brownwood Coliseum.
Ten dollars will allow the entrant to choose a hand-painted ceramic bowl and enjoy a simple meal of soup, crackers and water.“The whole idea behind the Empty Bowls Project is to raise awareness and funds for hunger relief,” said Angelia Bostick, Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries. “At the end of the event, we want you take your empty bowl home to remind you that there are those in our own community and around the world who have empty bowls and empty stomachs.”
The $10 from that ticket will provide food to a family of four for four days through the Food pantry. It will also provide a bag of food for one student for two weeks through the Food for Thought Program. Or it will provide a week’s worth of food to a homeless man or woman or a person who is homebound because of age or disability.
“That $10 will continue to work long after this event is over,” Bostick said. “It will provide food and hope to someone who desperately needs it.”
All of the funds raised on the day of the event through ticket sales, the store, donations and the live auction, will go to fight hunger. Ninety percent stays in Brown County for the six hunger ministries of GSM and ten percent will be tithed to Heifer International.
“This is the only time we will ever send money out of the county,” Bostick said. “But since this project is all about hunger relief, I think it is incredible that something we do right here in Brownwood can affect the lives of people living in hunger around the world.”
New to the event this year is the addition of a live auction of bowls painted by local celebrities. The auction will be held during the evening portion of the event. This year’s celebrities include: Brownwood mayor Mr. Stephen Haynes, Early mayor Dr. Robert Mangrum, Brownwood ISD Superintendent Dr. Joe Young, Early ISD Superintendent Mr. Wes Beck, Brookesmith ISD Superintendent Mr. Guy Birdwell, Howard Payne University President Dr. Bill Ellis, Early Chamber of Commerce Director Mrs. Shawn Russell, Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Director Mr. Ray Tipton, Chief of Police Mike Corley, Assistant Chief of Police James Fuller, Mrs. Lisa Tipton of Brownwood News, Mr. Carl Wayne of KOXE, Mr. Leland Acker of KXYL, Mr. Jay Polaski of KPSM and Mr. Joshua Peguero of KTXS. Rex Tackett of Wendlee Broadcasting will be the auctioneer.
“We’re very excited about our first celebrity bowl auction,” said Bostick. “Of course, we hope to bring in more money for the event but have high hopes of this bringing a certain levity to the evening and maybe sparking a good-natured bidding war or two.”
Pictures of the bowls and celebrities are online at goodsambwd.org.
Bostick said that anyone who would like to just attend the auction, without the option of choosing a hand-painted ceramic bowl from the display, may do so at no cost or for a donation. A $10 ticket is required for the choice of a bowl and a meal. In addition, children ages four and under who will not be choosing a bowl, are free. Anyone, regardless of age, who would like to choose a bowl will need to purchase a ticket.
Tickets are available online at goodsambwd.org, at GSM at 305 Clark Street, Dr. Carol Boren’s office, the Runaway Train Café and the Early Chamber of Commerce.
