Creative thinking, painting, music and coffee for the occasion will be part of an event to help give others hope in the community.

Jackson Avenue Coffee, located at 708 Jackson Ave., will be hosting a soup bowl-decorating event for HOPE of East-Central Illinois called “Bowls of Fun” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday and again on June 27. The event is family friendly for those who are 10 years old and older.

Housing, Outreach, Prevention and Education of East-Central Illinois is a non-profit organization based out of Charleston that promotes domestic violence awareness and provides help to those who are in danger from domestic violence.

The cost for the event is $5 to make and take a bowl. If the artists decide they would like to leave their bowls, they will be added to the collection for the annual Bowls of HOPE event, which will take place early 2016.

Although it is not the first year for Bowls of HOPE, Althea Pendergast, the executive director of HOPE, said this is the first year the JAC will be hosting a decorating event for HOPE.

“The JAC is very supportive of HOPE. Dan Reible (JAC owner) is a board member,” Pendergast said.

The event will feature the decoration of soup bowls with Sharpie-based oil markers. Pendergast said the workshop is a way for people to improve their painting technique.

“(The workshop) is a way for community members to come back while having a good time making a bowl,” Pendergast said.

Pendergast said the money raised from this event would go toward helping HOPE continue to educate the community on domestic violence and to support the victims.

Community members do not need to bring anything besides themselves, money and creativity.

“We would like everyone’s support. Come out to show your creative techniques and to have a good time,” Pendergast said.

Sydney Edwards can be reached at 581-2812 or sydneye72@gmail.com.