Caritas of Austin's "What Gives" Food Drive & Fundraiser Benefit at Mohawk Thusday

Tomorrow, thirty music, media, and assorted arts professionals will be taking a break from their day jobs to help out Caritas of Austin, a great nonprofit that feeds the homeless and strives to get them back on their feet.

The event starts by putting these enthusiastic volunteers to work at the downtown food kitchen during the day, where they'll get to see firsthand just how Caritas goes about its mission.

Later in the evening, they'd like you to join them for the "What Gives" Food Drive & Fundraiser Benefit at the Mohawk, a big charity bash catered by Woodland and Frank and featuring music by DJ A.One (of Dallas' The Cannabinoids). Host Mike Wiebe of The Riverboat Gamblers will oversee an auction of goods from a plethora of local stores and businesses, including Woodland, Frank, Decoder Ring, Transmission Entertainment, Olivia, Mint Salon, and more.

In return, Caritas asks you to consider bringing a non-perishable food/household item or a monetary donation to help 'em out. Or, if you'd like to get involved somehow or contribute auction items, you can email them at whatgivesaustin@gmail.com.

We're also pleased to announce that HELM, the new boots line by Progress Coffee owner Joshua Bingaman, has generously donated a pair of their fancy (and not yet available to the public) footwear to one lucky auction winner, thanks in large part to the positive reaction that our readers had to the interview we posted with Josh a while back. The highest bidder at Thursday's "What Gives" auction will receive a pair of custom HELM boots when the line debuts at their October 17th launch party—we'll let you know about that closer to the date—and will have the option to choose among four styles (ranging in value from $400 to $900) in any size they desire. It's a great opportunity to provide some much-needed support for a local charity while scoring a bit of indulgence for yourself.

(As though that weren't enough, former Austinist co-editor Matthew Odam is one of the daytime volunteers—say hi to him at the evening party and we're sure he'll be pleased to share a ribald joke or two with you.)

The "What Gives" Food Drive & Fundraiser Benefit runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Mohawk on Thursday, October 1st.