Have you ever known what it was like to be hungry? Have you ever experienced the feeling of going to bed with an empty stomach? Have you ever had food to eat but never quite enough? Did you know that for many families in Brown County this is the norm?
Good Samaritan Ministries is gearing up for its third annual Empty Bowls Project to be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 29 at the Brownwood Coliseum.
The premise of Empty Bowls is a simple one: Know hunger today. No hunger tomorrow. Based on that idea, a simple meal of soup or beans will be served along with bread and water. No frills. No flair. Just a simple, frugal meal.
However, at the heart of the meal is the hand-painted ceramic bowl. After the meal, the diners are encouraged to take their empty bowls home to serve as a reminder that there are those in our own community that have empty bowls and empty stomachs.
“The meal is not meant to be an all-you-can-eat soup buffet,” said Angelia Bostick, Executive Director of Good Samaritan Ministries. “We kind of hope you leave a little hungry because that’s the point. Most of us don’t know what it’s like to go a little hungry all the time but it’s something many of our friends and neighbors face daily.”
All of the soup will be donated by local restaurants and — new this year — beans will be on the menu giving even more restaurants an opportunity to be a part of the Empty Bowls Project.
“Not only will there be soup and beans donated by restaurants but we’ve learned that church kitchens can prepare these staples as well,” said Bostick.
Any church or restaurant that would like to donate soup or beans for the event, may do so by calling (325)203-2489.
In addition, this year GSM has ordered even more bowls along with an invitation to the community to help paint them.
“We’re scheduling groups to come into our office and paint bowls for the event,” Bostick said. “We have the bowls, the paint and brushes. All we need are willing bodies to help paint.”
The spaces are filling up quickly and will only be available as long as there are bowls to paint. To schedule a group to paint bowls, call Misty at (325)203-2489.
In addition to individual painting parties, schools, colleges and nursing homes are donating their time to paint bowls as well. Elementary school students are designing placemats. And local musical talent will provide entertainment throughout the day of the event.
“This really is a collaborative effort,” Bostick said. “One thing I love about this project is how it brings so many different groups of people together for one purpose. It allows us to reach even more people with the story of our friends and families who have fallen on hard times and it gives them an opportunity to help in a unique way.”
This year, the staff and board of GSM are working diligently to secure sponsorships to cover the cost of the event so that everything brought in at the door on the day of the event will go directly into the food ministries of GSM: Food Pantry, The Deer Project and Food for Thought.
There are still two $1,000 sponsorship spots available if anyone is interested.
Also, this year, GSM staff and board members will be selling VIP tables for businesses or groups who might be interested. A VIP table seats 8 for each meal and includes a personal server, live mention throughout the day and signage on the table. VIP tables are available for $200 for lunch or dinner or $300 for both (includes 16 tickets).
“To make things even more interesting, if a business chooses not to come to the event or use their allotted tickets, we are inviting them to either turn those back into us so we can randomly pass them out or stand at the door and bless someone else with their ticket,” Bostick said. “There is no end to the goodwill opportunity of this event.”
Anyone interested in being a primary sponsor or securing a VIP table may call Misty at (325)203-2489 or call the office at 643-2273.
“We’re really excited for this year’s Empty Bowls Project,” said Bostick. “It’s always amazing to see what happens when we issue a call and the Brown County community comes together in full force. But, at the heart of it all, if the Empty Bowls Project is a success, that means there is more money available to offer food through the food pantry, to send home to our chronically hungry students and to pay processing on deer meat donated by the hunters in our community.”
For more information about the Empty Bowls Project, how to volunteer or how to sponsor, please call 643-2273 or 203-2489.
Pictured above are some of the bowls from the 2011 Empty Bowls event.
