December 11, 2017
It’s called the Austin Empty Bowl Project, but the bowls don’t stay empty very long - not when there’s plenty of delicious, piping hot soup to pour into them.
As part of the event, which began in 1997, local potters donate bowls of every shape, size, and color to the cause. Then, every year on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, soup lovers with good hearts line up outside the Central Texas Food Bank, pay $20 to purchase one of the bowls and fill it with soups made by dozens of local restaurants, including our very own Meals on Wheels Chef Ruben Burnett, and bread from several nearby bakeries. Attendees also enjoy live music performed by talented Central Texas artists.
Best of all, the immensely popular event raises money for the Food Bank’s Kid’s Cafe program and our Meals for Kids (MFK) program, which provides nutritious snacks and lessons on healthy eating habits to children who live in public housing communities and attend after school programs run by our dedicated partners at Communities in Schools.
The totals for this year’s event are still being tallied – but the Empty Bowl Project has raised almost $200,000 for MFK over the past few years! We thank the organizers of this wonderful holiday tradition for their continued support of Meals for Kids!