Rainy Empty Bowls drive-through raises nearly $8K for hunger
Brownwood Bulletin
Community members responded on a rainy Thursday to Good Samaritan Ministries’ Empty Bowl Project, generating nearly $8,000 in the drive-through event for the organization’s seven hunger ministries.
That amount did not include the additional funds that would be raised at Saturday’s special sale at the Good Samaritan Ministries (GSM) Resale Store.
For $10 donations, participants in Thursday’s event received a ceramic campfire bowl and chose coupons from one of 14 area restaurants.
GSM Executive Director Leesa Stephens said the amount raised Thursday is close to the funds raised in previous years when the event was held at the Brownwood Coliseum. This year and in 2020, Empty Bowls was changed to a drive-through event because of COVID.
Good Samaritan Ministries volunteers distribute restaurant coupons to donors who picked up a bowl during Thursday Empty Bowls event. [Photo by Derrick Stuckly]Rain did not dampen the enthusiasm nor the turn out for Good Samaritan Ministries’ 12
th annual Empty Bowls Project, which for the second year in a row is being held as a drive-through event.
“When we started right before 11 a.m. we had cars lined up so the rain did not deter a lot folks,” GSM Executive Director Leesa Stephens said Thursday morning. “In Texas we never turn down rain. You plan an outdoor event and it’s usually a 95 percent chance that it won’t rain. But today we had a downpour and we always figure God knows what we need and when we need it. We’ll dry out.”
Rain did not dampen the enthusiasm nor the turn out for Good Samaritan Ministries’ 12
th annual Empty Bowls Project, which for the second year in a row is being held as a drive-through event.
“When we started right before 11 a.m. we had cars lined up so the rain did not deter a lot folks,” GSM Executive Director Leesa Stephens said Thursday morning. “In Texas we never turn down rain. You plan an outdoor event and it’s usually a 95 percent chance that it won’t rain. But today we had a downpour and we always figure God knows what we need and when we need it. We’ll dry out.”
Good Samaritan Ministries’ Empty Bowls Project returns for its 12
th year on Thursday, April 29, and like last year, the event will follow a drive-through format. Bowls will be available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the GSM Food Warehouse, located at 305 Clark Street.
“Back in early January when we had to make a lot of decisions we were still in the middle of a virus surge,” said GSM Executive Director Leesa Stephens. “So our board felt that going ahead and doing another drive-by type event would be the easiest to manage. We usually start getting calls in December, people wanting to book a bowl painting party, but we only had two calls – one in December and one January. We felt that was a signal from the community that they recognized things weren’t really the same.”