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Posted: Aug 27, 2019 2:34 PMUpdated: Aug 27, 2019 2:39 PM

Empty Bowls a Success for Agape Mission in Bartlesville

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Garrett Giles

Agape Mission's 11th Annual Empty Bowls event to raise funds to feed the hungry in our community was held at the Bartlesville Community Center Tuesday afternoon.

Executive Director Sherri Smith was pleased with the turnout. She said there is no community like Bartlesville when it comes to giving and she said Agape Mission cannot do what they do for the hungry without a giving community.

So far, $27,000 has been reported to have been raised at Tuesday's event. Smith said anyone can either give up their time or their money when it comes to supporting a community, and she said she saw both at the Empty Bowls event.

Volunteers from ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 gave their time to serve others. Both companies helped with Empty Bowls as part of their participation through United Way's "Day of Care" program. A combination of 40-plus volunteers came from both companies.

Smith said Agape Mission gets a grant from ConocoPhillips for their support. She said once 20-hours is put into an organization, that organization gets $500.

At Agape Mission, Smith said they do not have to buy a lot of food. To prepare a meal, she said you may have everything but one item. Sometimes she will feed 300 people on $25 because all she had to purchase was gravy mix or some other food item to make a meal complete.

For Smith, it is amazing how the dollars for food are stretched. Just in the month of July 2019, Agape Mission served 6,315 meals. Again, all funds raised at the Empty Bowls event will go towards Agape Mission's capital campaign to help feed the hungry in Bartlesville.

Complementary bowls were given to each person that presented their $25 ticket to get into the event on Tuesday. Leftover bowls were sold for $10 once the silent auction concluded, which was a first for the event.

Every day after the function, Smith said she hopes the bowls will serve as a reminder for the event and the hungry that live in Bartlesville. She said the bowls will hopefully act as a reminder for people to give to Agape Mission when they consider their offerings for the month as well. This is an effort by Agape Mission to keep their services on the minds of people that may forget that there is poverty in our community.

If you would like to give to Agape Mission, you can call 918.336.5410. You can also visit them on 5th and SW Cass Avenue in Bartlesville.


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