Nationally acclaimed storyteller Donald Davis is one of the celebrities whose bowls will be up for auction at the Empty Bowls Luncheon on Friday Feb. 22 at Bush Memorial Baptist Church in Troy.

The Empty Bowls Luncheon is sponsored annually by the Pike County Salvation Army as a fundraiser to feed the hungry.

Davis was a featured storyteller at the Pike Piddlers Storyteller Festival in January. He and the other featured tellers, Sheila Kay Adams, Michael Reno Harrell and Andy Offutt Irwin, will have individually crafted bowls in the silent auction and, collectively, the tellers will have a large bowl.

Kim May, director of the local Salvation Army, said local celebrities also have will have handmade bowls on the silent auction table.

“Brian Meadows, Walter Black, Mary Ann Casey and Larry Percy already have made bowls for the silent auction,” May said. “We have several Troy University athletes who have made bowls. Trojan quarterback Cory Robinson has made a bowl along with his teammates, Rashaad Harper, Brandon Timmons and Waylon Coleman-Dancer.”

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves will make a bowl for the Empty Bowls Luncheon and other elected officials have been invited to participate.

“We have two bowls that should generate a lot of interest,” May said. “These bowls were made by late Troy State University art professors, Dr. Robert Paxson and Ed Walter.”

The celebrity bowls will be on the silent auction table but more than 100 handmade bowls will be available to those who purchase tickets for the luncheon. The tickets are $20 each and include a handmade bowl, the soup lunch with bread, dessert and a beverage.

“Each ticket holder will have an opportunity to select a handmade bowl to take home and also get to enjoy the luncheon,” May said. “We will have seven different kinds of soup, Sister Schubert rolls and pound cake, brownies and maybe another dessert or two.

The luncheon bowls were made by participants in the annual Clay Conference, Troy University art students, participants at the Colley Complex, art students at Pike County High School and others who want to be a part of feeding the hungry in Pike County.

The 2013 Empty Bowls Luncheon will be from 11 until 2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Bush Memorial Baptist Church. All proceeds will benefit the Pike County Salvation Army food pantry.

“We’ll have plenty of good soup and a lot of really great bowls to choose from,” May said. “However, the earlier you get there, the better choice of bowls you’ll have but the soup choices will be good from beginning to end.”