BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – It will be food instead of films when the Bellows Falls Opera House (BFOH) becomes the stage for the annual Overflow the Opera House food drive to benefit Our Place Drop-in Center on Thursday, Sept. 21.
From 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., board members and other volunteers will be on hand curbside to accept donations of food and funds to stock the food pantry at Our Place.
Employees of Chroma Technology and Sonnax are also playing a role in making the drive a big hit by holding in-house drives and providing onsite help, and the BFOH is also a sponsor. KOOL-FM radio will be broadcasting live to encourage listeners to support the effort.
Also taking part are members of the Bellows Falls Rotary Club and the Bellows Falls Woman’s Club, which are both holding in-house food drives.
Donors can visit an online site that allows anyone to “buy” a seat at the Opera House with a $20 donation.
“We’re hoping to fill all 500 plus seats in the theater with either a bag of groceries, or a $20 donation,” said Our Place executive director David Billings. “That $20 represents a food box for a family.”
Donations can be made at www.bellowsfallsoperahouse.com/special-events anytime, or by stopping by the Opera house during the drive.
Billings said monetary donations are more important than ever because so many of the people Our Place helps are the employed poor, who are facing increases in the cost of housing, transportation, and food, and don’t qualify for other assistance programs.
“We have better leverage with our food dollars than the average shopper,” he said, “so donating money stretches the dollars even further.”
“That’s very important in Vermont,” he said, “because food costs here are 25% more than the national average.”
Information about Our Place and the drive can be found at www.ourplacevermont.org, on Facebook, or by contacting Our Place at 802-463-2217.