- Hosted by local non-profit Austin Empty Bowl Project, family-friendly event benefits kids feeding programs at Central Texas Food Bank & Meals on Wheels Central Texas
- Pick a bowl (or bowls) for a $25 (2 for $40) donation per bowl, fill it with soup and enjoy live music
- Preview party scheduled for Saturday, November 18, 6 – 9 P.M.
AUSTIN, TX, November 12, 2018 – Now in its 22nd year of helping to fight hunger in Central Texas, the annual Austin Empty Bowl Project will be held this Sunday, November 18th from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. at the Central Texas Food Bank, 6500 Metropolis Drive in Austin. The pre-Thanksgiving Austin tradition benefits the Food Bank’s Kids Café program and Meals on Wheels Central Texas’ Meals for Kids. The event is family-friendly and open to the public.
The Austin Empty Bowl Project is a non-profit organization created by potters to fight hunger throughout Central Texas. Here’s how it works: the potters create and donate bowls of all sizes, shapes, and colors. More than thirty restaurants and bakeries donate delicious soups and breads, and musicians donate their time and talent to entertain the crowd with live music. Then, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, friends and families come together to select and purchase a bowl for a donation of $25 (or two for $40), have it filled with soup, and enjoy the music and sense of community. Attendees get to keep their bowls as a reminder of those whose bowls are empty. There’s also a silent auction of bowls signed by such celebrities as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Kimmie Rhodes, Dana Falkonberry, Carolyn Wonderland, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, and artist Amado Pena.
Many attendees also collect the unique Austin Empty Bowl t-shirts, the design of which varies each year. They’ll be for sale at the event for just $15 each (vintage shirts will be available for $10).
Avoid the Line – Attend the Preview Party
Those who love the Austin Empty Bowl Project, but want to avoid the line, can attend the Austin Empty Bowl Preview Party. This year’s Preview Party, sponsored by Bill Evans and Austin Real Pros, is set for Saturday, November 17, 2018, from 6 – 9 P.M. at Central Texas Food Bank, 6500 Metropolis Drive.
Preview Party guests will enjoy tastes of several gourmet soups, bread, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, beer and wine, door prizes and, of course, getting an early chance to select their Empty Bowls. Guests will also get first crack at bidding on the silent auction of celebrity and artist bowls. Bidding closes at 3:00 P.M. on Sunday. Preview Party tickets are $75 per person and are available online at austinemptybowl.org.
ON-SITE MEDIA CONTACT:
Vera Vinson, Central Texas Food Bank
vvinson@centraltexasfoodbank.org
Cell: 312-498-6365
ABOUT THE AUSTIN EMPTY BOWL PROJECT
The Austin Empty Bowl Project (AEBP) was the first of its kind in Texas, founded in 1997 by Kit Adams, the owner of ClayWays Pottery Studio & Gallery. Each year, AEBP has grown in participation by both donors and attendees and, with the help of our generous community, we have raised more than $1,000,000! In 2011 AEBP became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and can now accept funds directly and those donations are tax deductible. For more information, visit austinemptybowl.org.
