Empty Bowl Mercer County Steering Committee members, Kelly Bartlett and Claire Neal, offer guests a chance to win big. The Soup Can Raffle features 100 cans of Campbell’s Chunky Soup, one of the cans is worth $250. After the drawing, many guests donate their cans of soup to Our Home’s Food Pantry. That’s a win-win!
CELINA – On Saturday, April 4th, Our Home Family Resource Center will be serving up a good time at the 3rd Annual Empty Bowls Mercer County Dinner & Auction. The event will be held at American Legion Post 210 in Celina. Doors open at 5:30pm, dinner will begin at 6:30pm.
Empty Bowls is a fun and family-friendly evening that brings the local community together to raise vital funds for Our Home. The dinner features a delicious, simple meal of savory soups and breads donated by local restaurants and bakeries, homemade desserts, and a salad bar. Soft drinks are included in the ticket price, a cash bar is available for adult beverages.
Every ticket holder gets to choose a hand-painted souvenir bowl to use for the evening and to take home as a reminder of their personal contribution to filling the empty bowls in Mercer County. All the bowls were painted and donated by volunteers at Our Home’s “Create A Bowl” event in January.
The dinner is anchored by a four-flight silent auction, with door-prize drawings and raffles throughout the evening. Auction items include tickets to regional theme parks, zoos, cultural and sporting events as well as gift cards and certificates from local restaurants and boutiques. The Soup Can Raffle, a crowd favorite, offers dinner guests a 1 in 100 chance to win $250.
Deb Simon-Heinfeld, Our Home’s Marketing & Development Coordinator
“We love this Empty Bowls event – it is so uplifting to see everyone enjoying the meal and bidding on auction items because they want to make a contribution to help people who are struggling. It brings people and businesses from all across Mercer County together to raise funds for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, children separated from their parents, folks struggling to buy prescriptions or cover the cost of their utilities, and families with special needs children.”
All proceeds from Empty Bowls will be directed to support the services Our Home provides. A few examples of the cost for these services include: $1000 can shelter and provide support for an abused mom and her children for a month; $300 will fund a weekend of respite for the guardian of a special needs child; $150 can provide supervision for a non-custodial father to meet his child for the first time; $50 will operate the crisis helpline for one week; $25 can provide support and counseling for a person facing a financial emergency; and, $10 will provide a 3-day supply of nourishing food for a family of four.
Tickets for Empty Bowls Dinner & Auction can be purchased at Our Home Family Resource Center, Chiefs Supermarkets in Celina and Coldwater, or by calling 419-586-4663. Tickets are $25, it costs an additional $10 to reserve a specific bowl.
Our Home Family Resource Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located at 117 W. Fayette Street in Celina. The organization’s work is possible with resources provided through monetary and in-kind donations from private individuals, groups, and corporations and money awarded through grants. Learn more at www.ourhomefrc.com
Mercer County Outlook 