by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
“Hey, Bruce Springsteen! Would you please sign my soup bowl?”
Now, that is not something “The Boss” hears on a daily basis but one organization in Jacksonville is hoping that Springsteen will happily comply with the odd request.
So far members of Hootie and the Blowfish, Sen. Bill Nelson and local the artist Jim Draper have all signed the handmade soup bowls.
So why are all of these local, national and international celebrities and politicians signing their John Hancocks to pottery?
Mainly because Amanda Holmes, associate director of advancement for Lutheran Social Services’ Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Florida, asked nicely.
For the past few weeks, Holmes and others at Second Harvest have been collecting soup bowl signatures from most of the big name celebrities that have passed through the area. In November, the autographed bowls will be auctioned off at Second Harvest’s annual Empty Bowls hunger awareness fund raising event.
Though some celebrities are signing special bowls made by local students, others are signing bowls made by local potters like Tim Bullard and Glendia Cooper.
Holmes said though the student -made bowls are a key part of the fund raiser, this is the first year Second Harvest has used celebrity- autographed bowls in the auction.
“We are hoping that it will raise hunger awareness and raise hunger funds that will stay right here in the Jacksonville area,” Holmes said.
Depending on the celebrity, getting an autograph can sometimes be a daunting task. But, Holmes said all of the superstars so far have been more than gracious to dole out a signature or two. Holmes said whenever a big star is performing in town, she has contacted them through the venue or promoter and all have been willing to help out.
Besides Hootie, Nelson and Draper, Holmes said Second Harvest is also trying to get autographs from Trent Reznor, front man for industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, Houston televangelist Joel Osteen and The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. By the time the Empty Bowls event comes in November, Holmes said she hopes to have collected 20 to 25 autographs.
Other than celebrity-signed soup bowls, this year’s event will also feature numerous celebrity soup servers including Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Chief Rick Barrett, the morning crew from FM-95.1 and Times-Union columnist Phillip Milano.
Though she doesn’t have any projections regarding what this year’s event will raise for the food bank, Holmes said more than $25,000 was raised last year.