LEWISTON – In a former Jesuit chapel in Bolivia, Lewiston accountant Jason Hall witnessed real poverty for the first time.

And he had never been treated so well.

“It was humbling,” said Hall, who traveled to the city of Cochabamba in August with a group of Lewiston Catholics. “We were treated like royalty, and I really had trouble with that.”

His wish to lend a hand and his passion for the people he met during his trip has led Hall to help organize an auction of artwork created by some of the children he met.

“The stuff they do is amazing because they start with nothing,” Hall said.

Over the past year, more than 100 paintings have arrived in Lewiston from Cochabamba. Most of the works are still lifes and portraits, created with paints, grease pencils and even mixed media. All were created by kids ages 8 to 17.

“The children’s personalities come out,” said Cathy Broussard, who has been working on the project since it came up. “There’s so much beauty. The faces have so much detail. The eyes are incredible.”

Proceeds from the auction – planned for Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul – will go back to the former chapel. That building is now a soup kitchen run by a priest from Maine, the Rev. Robert Lacasse.

“Father Lacasse is the common tie,” Hall said. “He’s a miracle. I wish I could be that selfless.”

Lacasse, now 75, has worked in Bolivia since 1963.

For several years, Lewiston’s Catholic churches have been funding the priest’s Santa Cruz Soup Kitchen though the Holy Cross Social Justice and Peace Committee.

The idea of the auction came up as a way for the kids helped by the soup kitchen – about 65 each day – to give back.

“They’re earning their keep,” Broussard said. All of the money raised by the auction will be sent back to Bolivia.

Each painting has been custom-framed by D&R Framing of Auburn. Others have come forward to aid a gallery show that will precede the auction. Events by Knight is catering and the Bow & String Band will provide music. The gallery show is scheduled for 7 p.m. The auction is to follow at 8 p.m.

Hall and Broussard hope to raise enough money to fund the soup kitchen for a long time.

“We want to get as much as we can,” said Hall, who visited the kitchen and watched the kids eat.

He witnessed some children tucking food into their clothes, treasuring every bit of what would likely be the only food they received all day.

The sight sobered Hall.

“It made me think of the food I waste on a daily basis,” he said. “I had no desire to leave. I have a hole in my heart.”

Go and do

What: Bolivian art gallery and auction

When: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15

Where: Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Admission: Free