The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TAP hosts annual Empty Bowl Brunch
MUST Ministries will be beneficiary of today’s event.
The holiday season is a time for giving, nourishing and warming hearts as the chill of winter begins to settle in. What could be better than giving while nourishing and warming your soul with homemade soup in a one-of-a-kind handmade bowl?
The Empty Bowl Brunch, sponsored by The Mountain View Art Alliance, has been an annual holiday event for the past 17 years that benefits various local charities in Cobb County. Nelah Gabler, an art instructor and volunteer, brought the holiday idea to The Art Place at Mountain View after attending a similar event at an outof-town conference.
“We (the MVAA) thought it would be a great way to give back to the community,” said Gabler. The beneficiary of 2018’s brunch will be MUST Ministries. “It was a good way to reach a lot of people in need as they (MUST) serve people of all backgrounds and help to improve their lives as well as feed them.”
Hand-thrown bowls, made by pottery teachers and students at The Art Place at Mountain View, are donated for sale to The etable soup, chicken noo- been given to various chardle soup, Brunswick stew, ities since the inception of beef stew, tomato basil soup The Empty Bowl Brunch. and soups with Jamaican This year’s brunch will take and Mexican flavors have place today from 11 a.m. to been served. 1:30 p.m. The line begins
Renee Speenberg, a pot- around 10:30 a.m. Tickets ter and pottery instructor are available at the door. at The Art Place, has been The Art Place accepts credit involved since the begincards, cash or check made ning, first as a volunteer, out to MVAA. then as a member of the “People love this event,” MVAA. Not only does she said Gabler, “you get to organize the event, but break bread together, take she oversees the making home a beautiful bowl and of 250 handmade bowls know your funds spent ben- and recruits volunteers to efit others.”
Empty Bowl Brunch. Volun- make soup, desserts and teers make soups that vary to work the event. from year to year. Chili, veg- More than $30,000 has DOING GOOD
Each Sunday, we write about a deserving individual, charity events such as funruns, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event or person for us to cover, contact us at ajc. doinggood@gmail.com.
Who got it fixed: City of Atlanta Department of Public Works Interim Commissioner James Jackson, 404330-6240, jamesjackson@ atlantaga.gov
Item: Midtown (Fulton)
John Dark has a problem with a beautification effort in Midtown.
“After four years of planning and construction, Mid- town Alliance appears to have abandoned any maintenance responsibilities for the beautification plantings and sidewalk at the bridge on Peachtree Street over I-75/I-85. The plantings are overrun with weeds and need mulching and litter is strewn on the sidewalk. It is much worse on the east side because I’ve been weeding the west side,” he wrote.
We received a quick response from the Midtown Alliance.
“The most recent plantings were completed this past summer on the Peachtree Street north bridge over I-75/85. Midtown Alliance’s operations team has been maintaining the site regularly. As there is no irrigation on the bridge, the planting is xeriscaped. The reader may have mistaken the drought tolerant plant material for weeds. Some of the plants have started going dormant and require pruning,” said the group’s marketing director Brian Carr.
He said his team is at the site on a weekly basis removing trash, graffiti, and pruning plant material as needed and another work detail is scheduled to be in the area within the next week.
“Note that Midtown Alliance is currently entertaining proposals from several landscaping companies to create a solution that is aesthetically more appealing while also drought resistant,” he added.
Days on list: 1
Who’s looking into it: Midtown Alliance Director of Marketing and Communications Brian Carr, brian@ midtownatl.com.