Today, after a long, crazy adventure trying to get Alex a passport so he can go on the Mission Trip to Jamaica this summer (we were successful!!!! YEA!!!), I picked up a friend and we went to a charitable event called "EMPTY BOWLS". 

Here's what you do:  You go to one of two places here in Houston that were hosting the event.  You purchase a ticket/make a donation of a minimum of $25.  In return, you get to "pick" a bowl (from hundreds donated......Christine from FabFive and I each donated one!!!) to take home.  Christine and I both fell for the first bowls we saw....hers is really cool!  It even matched her decorating style and colors!  Mine is a dark blue with a lip and on the inside is engraved "Family Unity" in white.  That's like our family motto!!!  The two bowls we had donated were already taken by the time we got there.  There were also some "celebrity" bowls for much larger donations....local sports teams, and even one by Dr. Red Duke and Dr. Debakey!  The bowls were of all sizes, shapes and mediums...wood, ceramic, metal, paper, even felt and yarn....and one paper magazine bowl!  We checked out both locations (within walking distance of each other) but we decided on sticking to the bowls we picked.  There were also "student" bowls donated from various schools and organizations which you could buy for a donation.

No, thats not us but it gives you an idea about what it looked like. 

Then after you've picked out your bowl you make your donation and get a ticket which gets you a bowl of soup, a roll and a bottle of water....your typical meal at a shelter.....We then went and sat in the garden and watched local craftsmen and women and listened to local bands.  The weather was nice...a little drizzly but nothing uncomfortable.

All the proceeds from this event went to the Houston Food Bank.  This happens to be one of the places where the Social Ministry at our parish picks up a lot of its food to help the needy people in our area of town.  The soup was good, the music was good, the weather was good and our bowls that we brought home were great finds!  A good day that helped a great charity...you can't beat that!

Check out your local area to see if there is an Empty Bowls event going on.....if there isn't, maybe you might want to start one!!!

(I will post a picture of my bowl when I figure out my camera software.....)