The Empty Bowls Project will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, March 29, 2012, at the Brownwood Coliseum. Make plans now to attend on your lunch break or with your family after work.
For a donation only, choose a hand-painted bowl and enjoy a simple meal of soup or beans from local restaurants including Chick-Fil-A, Chili’s, Steves’ Market and Deli and the Runaway Train Café. Take your bowl home at the end of the day to serve as a reminder that there are those in the community who have empty bowls and empty stomachs. Debit and credit cards will be accepted this year. Proceeds from Empty Bowls will count towards the annual Feinstein Challenge so attending is another way of helping Good Samaritan Ministries meet their goal!
Ninety percent of the proceeds from the event will benefit local families through Good Samaritan Ministries, while the remaining 10 percent will go toward fighting hunger worldwide.
Good Samaritan Ministries fed an average of 999 families per month last year, through its food bank; Food for Thought program, which provides weekend food to chronically hungry students in Brown County schools; and The Deer Project, which brought in more than 11,000 pounds of lean venison to families in the community.
Howard Payne is joining in the effort along with other community groups. Misty Bowers of Good Samaritan Ministries calls Empty Bowls a “community effort.”
“It would be virtually impossible to list everyone who painted bowls but that there have been groups from all aspects of the community,” she said. “Middle and high school art classes, college students both at HPU and Texas State Technical College, nursing home residents, Sunday School classes, Cub Scouts, youth groups, home-school groups, school personnel and many other organizations and groups of friends and colleagues have come together for the project.”
Good Samaritan Ministries sought sponsors for this year’s event to cover the cost of the bowls, paint, coliseum rental and other miscellaneous items so that all funds raised will go toward feeding the hungry.
“This year, Good Samaritan hopes to feed at least 1,000 people at the event, meaning that 1,000 bowls had to be painted, glazed and fired, many of them by HPU students,” said Jeffri Foster, graduate assistant for HPU’s youth ministry graduate program and one of the university’s staff members involved with the program. “It has been exciting to see so many groups on campus that are willing to serve our community in this way. Not only have groups painted bowls, but HPU students are in charge of organizing musical entertainment and will provide a lot of serving staff for the event. Empty Bowls has been a great outlet for Howard Payne students, faculty and staff to serve their community in an effective way.”
Other HPU participating faculty and staff members include Dr. Gary Gramling, director of the youth ministry graduate program and professor of Christian studies; Eydie Henderson, administrative assistant in the School of Christian Studies; Dan Humeniuk, assistant professor of social work; Dr. Mitzi Lehrer, assistant professor of education; Keith Platte, director of the Baptist Student Ministry; and Ann Smith, professor of art and chair of the Department of Art.
