SANTA ROSA, January
8,
2010 - The annual Winter Food and Funds Drive by the Redwood
Empire Food Bank (REFB) will mark its finale with performances
Jan. 30 and 31 by the American Philharmonic - Sonoma County
(APSC) at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa.
The concert entitled, Once Upon A Time,
is free to the public and is dedicated to the work and supporters
of the REFB, Sonoma County's leading hunger relief agency
which provides food to 70,000 Sonoma County residents every
month.
The concerts will be performed at the conclusion of the
REFB's three-month-long winter drive to collect food and
raise funds to support hunger relief efforts into the New
Year.
Concert goers are being urged to donate cash or checks to
the REFB during the concerts at the Wells Fargo Center for
the Arts. Credit or Debit cards may be used to give as well,
using remittance envelopes located in each program. Information
tables will be set up for donations to REFB.
In dedicating the concert to the Food Bank, American Philharmonic-Sonoma
County spokesperson and Co-Chair, Katy Madrigal said:
"This time of year is often the hardest for the needy and
those who serve them. While many donations come in during
the holidays, by the beginning of each new year, REFB has
to double its efforts to secure more food. This is a time
when all of us in the community can collaborate and help
raise much needed food. Please donate to this worthy cause
and enjoy the beautiful music."
David Goodman, Executive Director of the REFB, thanked the
American Philharmonic and expressed hope the concerts would
remind people that hunger is a year-round problem.
"Every day is a crisis for people who haven't enough
to eat," Goodman said. "Coming at the conclusion of our annual
drive, the two days of music will help us celebrate the generosity
of the thousands of people who have contributed and serve
as a reminder that our annual winter fund drive ends Jan.
31, but the need continues every day of the year."
The orchestra, which will be conducted by American Philharmonic
Music Director Gabriel Sakakeeny, will be performing Mendelssohn's A
Midsummer's Night Dream-Overture;
Blechinger's Concerto for Bassoon, featuring guest
bassoonist George Sakakeeny; and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.
The performance on Saturday, Jan. 30 begins at 8 p.m. Sunday's
performance on Jan. 31 begins at 3 p.m. Admission is free.
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts lobby doors open an hour
prior to the concerts. The Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
is wheelchair accessible.
The REFB launched its annual Winter Food and Funds Drive
on November 1, and with the help and support of some 360
community drives raised thousands of pounds of food as well
as cash. Donations help keep its food shelves stocked into
the new year to distribute food through 13 of its own programs
and the 146 charitable agencies it partners with in Sonoma
County.
The goal is to collect $160,000 in cash and 200,000 lbs.
of food by Jan. 31.
By the first week of the new year, Lee Bickley, Community
Relations Manager of the REFB, said donors had contributed
160,871 lbs. of canned and packaged food and $111,744 in
cash.
"We have just one more month to go, and we're almost there," she said. "We're hoping residents who haven't yet contributed
will find a way to help and help us meet our goal."
No food will be collected at the Wells Fargo Center concerts,
only cash and checks.
Bickley said every cash contribution helps, no matter the
amount.
"No donation is too small. We've received a $20,000 check
from a Healdsburg winery and we've received hundreds of pennies
from grade schools," she said.
"We have 5,000 volunteers who help us operate our programs
throughout the year and because of that volunteer labor we
are able to turn a dollar donation into $4 worth of food," she said. "So each donation counts, no matter the amount,
and will enable us to help thousands of our neighbors."
Bickley urged concert goers to donate cash at the Wells
Fargo Center performances and others to send their contributions
to the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
Checks can be mailed to 3320 Industrial Drive, Santa Rosa
CA 95403. Donors also can give online www.refb.org or by
calling the food bank at 707-523-7900 and put a donation
on a charge card.
Canned and packaged food can always be dropped off at REFB's
headquarters, 3320 Industrial Drive in Santa Rosa.
The American Philharmonic - Sonoma County was created in
1998. It has performed more than 60 concert events for more
than 40,000 audience members since 1999.
For more information on the REFB, contact David Goodman,
707-523-7900.
The orchestra is sustained almost completely on the generosity
of donations by audience members. It has grown from a modest
Cotati Philharmonic to become the premier professional volunteer
orchestra of the North Bay Area with 60 to 75 musicians and
scores of support volunteers. The American Philharmonic-Sonoma
County is a resident company of the Wells Fargo Center for
the Arts.
For more information about the American Philharmonic-Sonoma
County, contact Katy Madrigal at kgomezmadrigal@apsonoma.org or
go to www.apsonoma.org.
The REFB is the largest food bank on the Northern California
coast from Petaluma to the Oregon border. In addition to
providing food to Sonoma County residents, it is a primary
source of food for pantries in Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt
and Del Norte counties.
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