The Season of Giving

Help feed Austin's hungry at Frost Bank's donation drop-off event

Looking for a way to give back this holiday season? Then mark your calendar for Thursday, December 10, when CultureMap and Frost Bank are hosting a donation drop-off from 4-6 pm benefitting Central Texas Food Bank.

Donations will be accepted at Lamar Union Plaza, in front of the Alamo Drafthouse. Help CTFB be on the frontline of hunger for an average of 200,000 people each month by bringing these food items to donate:

Peanut butter
Canned chicken breast or tuna
Canned low-sodium vegetables
Canned fruit in its own juice (no sugar added)
Dry pinto beans
Brown rice
Non-fat dry milk powder
100% whole grain cereal

When you bring five or more donation items, you'll receive a $10 Frost It Forward card (while supplies last) as yet another opportunity to spread generosity and the power of optimism.

Everyone who donates will also get the chance to win a special grand prize that includes a $100 gift card to Caffe Medici, $40 to Finley's Barbershop, $50 to Shake Shack, $50 to Jjim BBQ, two gift cards for a small treat at Lick Honest Ice Creams, a 10-pack of classes to Orangetheory South Lamar, a 500 mg Broad Spectrum tincture and 400 mg Spot Cooling Lotion from Greenbelt Botanicals Co. (worth $90), $50 to TLC, and $50 to Soto South Lamar.

To enter, visit the Optimism Starts With You mural by local artist Mike Johnston at 1100 S. Lamar Blvd., facing the Alamo Drafthouse. Snap a photo of the mural and share it on social media using #OptForOptimism. We'll choose a grand prize winner on December 31.

Stick around after you donate to enjoy special same-day discounts from Lamar Union Plaza businesses, including a one-time free shake from Shake Shack with any $20 purchase (redeemable in the Shake Shack app), corporate membership rates to Orangetheory Fitness Lamar, 10 percent off at Lick Honest Ice Creams and TLC, and 25 percent off at Greenbelt Botanicals Co.

When the Central Texas Food Bank was established in 1982, its goal was to help the hungry in the community. Over the years, the weak economy has increased challenges for clients who have turned to food pantries for food assistance. Now it works with partner agencies in 21 counties across Central Texas, and provided more than 39.2 million pounds of food to families in need during the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Help make sure your neighbors don't go hungry.

Photo courtesy of Central Texas Food Bank

Help make sure your neighbors don't go hungry.

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MESSAGE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE

Austin theater auctions off chance to write message on iconic marquee

Paramount Theatre/Instagram

The Paramount Theatre is auctioning off the chance to share a holiday message on its marquee.

Austinites craving the limelight might get the chance to see their name in lights — or at least a personalized holiday message — illuminated on one of Austin’s most historic marquees.

As part of the Austin Theatre Alliance’s final 2020 auction to raise funds for the Paramount and Stateside theaters, the nonprofit is offering up an array of unusual and very “Austintatious” items for bid, including the chance to share a customized holiday message on the iconic Paramount Theatre marquee.

The auction item is one of several dozen currently up for bid through ATA’s online holiday auction, which runs through December 11.

With a starting bid of $1,500, the Paramount marquee message is one of the pricier items in the auction, but it may be well worth the glory, as the winning bidder can treat all of Austin to a two-line, 80-character custom holiday message that will be professionally photographed and live on the marquee for a minimum of four hours. (It should be noted that the chosen message is subject to review. After all, this is a nonprofit theater marquee, not the infamously sassy El Arroyo sign.)

Having to cancel or reschedule hundreds of planned shows because of COVID-19 concerns, the Paramount Theatre has had a particularly rough year but recently reopened at 25 percent capacity for limited engagements, like its Holiday Film Series, which is currently underway. Funds raised from the auction enable the ATA, which manages the Paramount and Stateside, to reach Central Texas students through virtual programs, employ venue staff, and help the historic theaters survive the pandemic.

In addition to the Paramount marquee message item, the auction also includes other perfectly weird items befitting a homegrown Austin event, like Matt Lankes photos of Willie Nelson playing chess and the late, great Billy Joe Shaver looking contemplative while perched on a bridge in Waco; and several autographed guitars, including one commemorative acoustic guitar signed by 10 of Austin’s most notable musicians, Ruthie Foster, Carrie Rodriguez, and Tameca Jones among them.

Of course, there is no lack of booze-forward packages, hotel stays, and artist-signed prints also up for grabs. But true lovers of the Paramount Theatre will find the item with the highest opening bid ($5,000) steals the show: a private catered dinner for four on the Paramount stage.

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