Good Samaritan Ministries Stretches $10 to Provide Awareness and Hunger Relief

Ten dollars will barely pay for a fast food meal for one these days. One meal. Then the money’s gone and you’re hungry again in a few hours.

However, when you purchase a $10 ticket for Good Samaritan Ministries’ Empty Bowls Project, you receive a light meal of soup, crackers, and water. But that $10 continues to work to feed your hungry friends and neighbors through the hunger ministries of GSM.

“Ten dollars will buy 62 pounds of food through the Food Bank,” said Angelia Bostick, Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries. “And that 62 pounds of food will feed a family of four for four days.”

In addition, Bostick said that $10 will also provide food for one week for a homeless person or an elderly homebound adult. It will provide one bag of food to one student for two weekends on the Food for Thought program. That $10 will also benefit The Deer Project and the Pig Project.

“So whenever someone buys a ticket to the Empty Bowls Project, their money keeps working to provide not only one meal for themselves but many meals for their friends and neighbors at risk of hunger in Brown County,” said Bostick. “And, they can take their beautifully hand-painted bowl home to serve as a reminder that they helped fill someone’s empty bowl.”

This year’s project will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, March 24 at the Brownwood Coliseum. One ticket will provide entrance into one lunch or dinner session, a hand-painted ceramic bowl and a light meal of soup, crackers and water.

“We changed the way we handled the bowls a little this year because we really wanted the project to reflect the reality of hunger,” said Bostick. “That’s the root of the program and the reason for the project’s existence: to raise awareness and funds for hunger both locally and globally.”

Bostick said that they are also hoping that the addition of the evening session will be more conducive to family attendance.

“What an incredible way to teach children that there are those less fortunate, and that the ceramic bowl they just picked out is so much more than a pretty bowl,” Bostick said. “It stands to remind them how very fortunate they are, and hopefully it reminds everyone who leaves with a bowl in hand to say a prayer for those who are struggling.”

Also new this year is the addition of a live auction during the evening session where bowls painted by local “celebrities” will be available to bid on.

This year’s celebrities include: Mr. Stephen Haynes, Brownwood Mayor; Dr. Robert Mangrum, Early Mayor; Dr. Bill Ellis, HPU President; Dr. Joe Young, Brownwood ISD Superintendent; Mr. Wes Beck, Early ISD Superintendent; Mr. Guy Birdwell, Brookesmith ISD Superintendent; Mr. Ray Tipton, Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Director; Mrs. Shawn Russell, Early Chamber of Commerce Director; Lisa Tipton, Brownwood News; Joshua Peguero, KTXS TV; Leland Acker, KXYL Radio; Carl Wayne, KOXE Radio; Jay Polaski, KPSM Radio; Mike Corley, Chief of Police, Brownwood; James Fuller, Assistant Chief of Police, Brownwood.

“We are hoping the inclusion of the live auction of celebrity bowls will not only bring in more money for the project, but bring a certain levity to the evening, as well,” Bostick said. “We’ve encouraged all of our celebrities to be building up the auction in their own circles of influence.”

To see a list of celebrities and pictures of their bowl, visit the GSM website at goodsambwd.org.

For more information about the Empty Bowls Project, please call 325-643-2273.

Pictured above is a collage of some of the celebrity painted bowls.  Below are more photos of celebrities and the bowls they painted.