Round Rock area residents who utilize the Meals on Wheels program, housed out of The Baca Center in downtown Round Rock, will receive a ceramic bowl hand-painted by a Round Rock ISD student included with their meal delivery.

Following the Empty Bowls Festival, which took place April 8, remaining bowls were shared with the Meals on Wheels program to be delivered with meals to homebound seniors and the disabled in the community. Meals on Wheels serves nearly 90 meals per day to Round Rock area citizens.

“The Round Rock Empty Bowls Festival is excited about our partnership with Meals on Wheels-Round Rock as it extends our mission of fighting hunger in our community beyond the one-day event of the festival,” said Tim Lowke, assistant director of visual and performing arts and coordinator for the Round Rock Empty Bowls Festival.

Jen Jones-Petersen, program manager at The Volunteer Center, a program of the Round Rock Serving Center, coordinated the Empty Bowls Festival and Meals on Wheels partnership.

“This connection will help each recipient of a meal feel the enthusiasm and love that was put into the creation of each bowl by Round Rock ISD students and teachers,” Jones-Petersen said. “This will also bring a colorful light to individuals who utilize Meal on Wheels services.”

The Round Rock Empty Bowls Festival is a service learning project, which brings together students, faculty, community members and business partners to reduce hunger in Round Rock.

“It’s partnerships like this that make such difference in our community,” Lowke said. “This will benefit not only Meals on Wheels-Round Rock and The Round Rock Area Serving Center but also the students and families of Round Rock ISD through education, awareness, community involvement and physically feeding those that are hungry on a daily basis.