Eat soup, end hunger. That was the mantra for hundreds of Abilenians on an unusually sunny winter afternoon in Texas participating in an event called Empty Bowls. University students and local potters created more than 900 unique ceramic bowls for the community meal held Feb. 20. As eager attendees streamed in, they were greeted by smiling volunteers, live music and kid-decorated paper placements. Eat soup, end hunger and keep the bowl as a reminder. It was something everyone could agree on – the cross-town school rivals, the restaurant soup donors, the churches and food pantries and organizations – everyone wise enough to recognize that hunger due to poverty is a real problem, from small town west Texas to every corner of the globe.

Sanctuary Home For Children, an international charity receiving funds from the 2010 project, will use their portion of the expected $14,000 total to feed a group of HIV+ children in India for an entire year. Closer to home, Abilene Hope Haven is another grateful recipient. “We feed 50-55 people three meals a day, so our portion of the proceeds will go to buy groceries for formerly homeless folks,” said Randy Halstead, executive director. “The thing I think is neat is that it’s grassroots. None of the people making the bowls have any stake in the organization, really; it’s just people coming together.”

The Abilene event is only three years old, but there is a bigger picture: Empty Bowls events are held all over the world, facilitated by schools, churches, fire stations, cities and individuals. The only stipulation is that by using the Empty Bowls name, 100 percent of the proceeds must be used to alleviate hunger. Each event is unique, but the cause is the same: end world hunger.

Tim Palmer, director of Empty Bowls Abilene, quotes Mother Theresa regarding the ethos of the event: “We do no great things. Only small things with great love.” Then he adds his own spin. “It may seem small, but if we get enough small things together, it can turn into a big thing.”

Want to start an Empty Bowls project in your area? Get an info packet for $5 at www.emptybowls.net and learn how to host an event. You also receive a tiny piece of clay from their first batch in 1990 – a small thing with great love that has become a worldwide initiative of the best sort.