Today the Good Samaritan organization held its annual “Empty Bowls” fundraiser project, and it was a great success.  Leesa Stevens, Executive Director of Good Samaritan, commented “This is our sixteenth annual Empty Bowls project.  Of the funds raised, 90% will stay home in the community to fund our seven hunger programs.”

The seven local hunger programs are the Food Pantry (open seven days a week, serves over 800 families per month), Food for Thought (serves over 400 students per week in 17 campuses in Brown County), the Deer Project (deer hunters and processors donate venison to the Food Pantry), The Pig Project (purchase show pigs at the Brown County Youth Fair that are processed for the Food Pantry), Homeless Boxes, Homebound Programs, and the Mobile Food Pantry.

Ten percent of the proceeds from the Empty Bowls project will be donated to Samaritan’s Purse, an international hunger relief project.

Stevens said “This project started in December.  The bowls were painted in February, by many individuals at 25 different bowl painting parties.  I want to give a big shout-out to Kohler Co., because they are the ones who fired the bowls for us.”

Fifteen local “Soup Sponsors” donated the soup for today’s luncheon:  HPU Sodexo Food Service, Section Hand Restaurant, Runaway Train Restaurant, Texas 4-H Center, Brownwood Country Club, Humphrey Pete’s Restaurant, Bangs Nursing and Rehab Center, McAlister’s Restaurant, Cotton Patch Restaurant, United Supermarket Deli, Common Grounds Restaurant, Heart of Texas 4-H Camp, Red Wagon Restaurant, Hendrick Medical Center, and Grazed & Confused Restaurant.

The fundraising goal for this year’s Empty Bowls Project is $70,000, and according to Leesa Stevens, 90% of that was raised from financial sponsors (see list below).  The remaining funds came from ticket sales today.

Financial Sponsors:

Soup-er Hero:  Roberson Rent-All, Chick-Fil-A

Soup-er Bowl Champs:  TXU Energy, Atmos Energy, Performance Pipe, United Supermarkets, Howard Payne University, West Texas Printing, Wal-Mart, Dan and Lynn Humeniuk, Kohler Corp., Grooms Feed and Seed, Brookshire’s Supermarket, T.J. and Bitsy Hobbs, Hendrick Medical Center, and Skies Over Texas Winery

Soup-er Achiever: Texas Bank, Prosperity Bank, Texas Clean, Blanket Methodist Church, Rex’s Texas Lanes, Citizen’s National Bank, BKCW Insurance Agency, Lamar Advertising, Grimsley Electric, and Boom Stick Arsenal

Soup-er Star:  Comanche Electric Co-op, Wright Asphalt, MC Bank, Jacobs Family Pharmacy, Andy’s Pest Troopers, and Jason Johnson Attorney