The Pantry Board would like to offer our sincere thanks to all of the wonderful people that supported and volunteered to serve at our Empty Bowls Fundraiser 2018 on Feb. 8. It was a great success!

Filling a bowl with soup for lunch seems such a simple task, but far too many people in our community have neither the bowl nor the soup! Empty Bowls helps to support the 13,000 meals provided yearly for our needy citizens.

We especially would like to thank the Oxford Conference Center; Hollis Green, Director; Micah Quinn, Events Manager; and the staff for the use of their facility and especially for their help.

Great big hugs and thanks to Ole Miss for their support throughout the years and all of the “Ole Miss Mud Daubers”: Professor Matt Long, Shelby Bickes, Will Booth, Ray Brown, Mike Cinelli, Doug Caulfield, Hanna Holland, Aston Keen, Cassie Kuykendall, Nick Meyer, Eryn McCarthy, Will McComb, Kendall McDonald, Andrew McIntyre, William Mckinney, Dana Moore, Bailey Pillow, Rosa Salas, Emma Wilson, and Alex Yu. Local potters were Ron Dale (Irondale Studio), Ashley Chavis, Scott Parkhurst, Mary Saxton Loria, and Parky Pottery.

Great big hugs and thanks to our soup and bread donors. Soups: Ajax, Boure’, Camp Lake Stephens, City Grocery Group,Country Club of Oxford, Grit, A&N Catering, Lenora’s Deli, McAlister’s, McEwen’s, My Michelle’s, Newk’s, No Time 2 Cook, Party Waiting to Happen, Oby’s, Old Venice Pizza, Oxford Schools, Party Wait’n to Happen, Proud Larry’s, Rafter’s, Ravine, Saint Leo’s, Stella, Southern Craft Stove + Tap, Taylor Catering, Tallahatchie Gourmet, and Volta. Bread donors: Bottletree Bakery, Aramark@Ole Miss, Piggly Wiggly in Batesville and Ajax.

This year we took orders in advance from Oxford businesses and medical offices: Urology Clinic, Dr. Land Renfroe Children’s Dental Center, Dr. Hayden Perkins, Dr. Shawn O’Bannon, Dr. Earl Stubblefield, Dr. Christine Rayburn, Drs Walker Swaney and Mike Huggins, ENT group, Dr. Ford Dye, Dr. Pearson Windham, Dr. John Lorenzo, Willam Alias with Security Holdings, Dr. Jessica Perkins, and New Albany Dental Clinic. Deliveries were made by our new group: Chantel Kimbrell, Emily Shelton, Lauren Renfroe, and Jessica Perkins. Many thanks to all of you…..great idea and very successful!

Our very sincere thanks to Chef Scott Caradine, owner of Proud Larry’s, and his assistant Jon Myrick.

Once again they helped to set up and keep our kitchen organized during the luncheon.

Thanks for the PR: Oxford EAGLE, Oxford Citizen, Hotty Toddy, Chamber of Commerce, Invitation Oxford, and The Daily Mississippian.

Thanks to all of our volunteers! We are all blessed to live in such a caring, generous community!

Barbara J. Smith