Orchestras Feeding America Food Drive

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera (USUO) is excited to participate in Orchestras Feeding America, the first national food drive by America’s symphony orchestras. Our musicians, staff members and volunteers will collect non-perishable food at the concerts on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 from 4:00 – 8:00 pm on the plaza of Abravanel Hall. The food will be donated to the Utah Food Bank. As a thank you, USUO will be offering 10% discount coupons to selected future concerts for those who donate on March 27 and 28.

To date, more than 160 orchestras have come together to combat hunger in their communities through Orchestras Feeding America, and the number of participants is growing daily. The project is organized by the League of American Orchestras, which represents the nation’s professional, volunteer, and youth orchestras, and Feeding America’s network of over 200 food banks and 63,000 agencies. The drive was inspired by the true story of the upcoming film The Soloist.

“We are honored to participate in Orchestras Feeding America. We are all feeling the effects of the current economic crisis and we have neighbors in greater need than ever. We are looking forward to lending a helping hand and supporting a community that has always supported us,” said Melia Tourangeau, President & CEO.

One in eight Americans is at risk of hunger. According to the USDA, there are 36 million people at risk of hunger in the U.S.; 12 million of them are children.  In December 2008, Feeding America conducted a survey of 160 food banks nationwide – the results were troubling, with food banks reporting a 30 percent increase in demand for emergency food assistance, compared to one year ago.

About Utah Food Bank Services
Utah Food Bank Services is the state’s emergency food collection and distribution hub, providing food to a statewide network of over 230 emergency food pantries, agencies, regional food banks and direct service programs. Last fiscal year, Utah Food Bank Services distributed 19.2 million pounds of food, the equivalent of over 9.6 million for families and individuals in need. Utah Food Bank Services also operates 18 Kids Cafe sites, 2-1-1 Information & Referral and Services for Seniors. For more information about Utah Food Bank Services visit www.utahfoodbank.org.

About The Soloist
The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr., directed by Joe Wright, will be released by Paramount Pictures to theaters nationwide on April 24th.  A Dreamworks Pictures/Universal Pictures presentation in association with Studio Canal and Participant Media, the film is based on the true story of the relationship between Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted Juilliard-trained string player whose mental illness landed him among the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles.  The relationship has expanded to include staff and musicians of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  The Soloist, which also features the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is a testament to the redemptive power of music and a reminder of our connections to the most vulnerable among us.