Barnabas Center, Inc. Presents 9th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon - Tickets Available Now!

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! 

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Barnabas Center, Inc. has set the date for the 9th annual Empty Bowls luncheon for Friday, November 18, 12-1 PM at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island. Please mark your calendars and save the date! 

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island has hauled tables, chairs, linens, silverware, and their delicious soups to the event, and provided servers since the event’s inception.  It has been quite a heroic effort!  Based on previous year’s successes, they have offered us an even bigger venue that will seat 700 guests – The Ritz-Carlton itself!  After recovering from a pleasant shock because the venue will allow us to host 200 additional guests, we carefully considered costs because we want to ensure we continue to return the same percentage of dollars raised directly back to our programs.  The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s generous offer will allow us to contain our costs as in years past and maximize our fundraising efforts to help others!  We extend our deepest gratitude to Mr. Greg Cook, General Manager and all the ladies and gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island!

Parking will be extremely limited and carpooling is strongly encouraged. Parking will be available starting at 10:45 a.m. at Peters Point Beach Front Park, with complimentary event shuttle service provided by Omni Resorts Amelia Island. Shuttle service will be available 10:45 a.m. – 2 p.m.

An Empty Bowl is a symbol of hunger.  In support of our neighbors coping with food insecurity, Barnabas is hosting our 9th annual Empty Bowls event to raise awareness and funds to combat hunger and crisis in Nassau County. A simple meal of soup, bread and dessert will be served.

In addition, each guest may select a beautiful hand painted bowl to take home. Potters and volunteers throughout the area have painted ceramic bowls so that each attendee can have a permanent reminder of the many bowls we still need to fill to provide nourishment to our neighbors who struggle with hunger.

Guest Speaker
Don’t miss our wonderful guest speaker and local inventor, Mike Bowling, who will share his uplifting message of the importance of hope, hard-work, and holding onto your dreams.
Mike Bowling is an Amelia Island resident and creator of the famous Pound Puppies. After 18 years of working on the assembly line at a Ford Motor plant in Cincinnati, Ohio, he never gave up on his idea of creating the toy, Pound Puppies. This dream became a reality and he built a successful career using his imagination to share his talents by creating toys that are loved by all!

The reality of Nassau’s hunger problem
In reality, more than 7,000 of our neighbors are rarely sure how they’ll get enough to eat in the next few days. Over 2,000 of them are children.

Our ongoing hunger solution
Barnabas operates a large Food Pantry in east Nassau County where we work with our partners to distribute yearly over 380,000 pounds of food, equating to 318,515 meals, to our neighbors in need. Barnabas also provides food to individuals and families in need in Callahan and Hilliard. Without such help, these families often go hungry.

The reality of Nassau’s healthcare problem
An estimated 10,000 people in our county lack health insurance. Uninsured, lower income adults in Nassau have significant medical needs. Even more, they have limited options for adequate care. As a result, an emergency room may be the only choice.

Our ongoing healthcare solution
Barnabas Health Services provides affordable health and dental care for our neighbors in need. As a result, this purpose improves their health and reduces emergency resources.

The reality of Nassau’s poverty problem
Most noteworthy, many Nassau families are one paycheck away from crisis. Approximately 7,000 Nassau County residents live at or below the federal poverty guidelines. Their families’ personal resources are stretched beyond the limit.

The Empty Bowls solution
​Above all, Empty Bowls is an effort to combat hunger and all its effects. Barnabas brought Empty Bowls to Nassau County to help spread awareness in our community, to continue the battle against hunger, food insecurity and poverty by connecting people with the help and hope they need to become self-sufficient.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click below or visit www.BarnabasNassau.org. 

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