BELLOWS FALLS-The Square in front of the Bellows Falls Opera House will be the stage for the annual Overflow the Opera House food drive to benefit Our Place Drop-in Center on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing to 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. For those unable to donate in person on the 26th, donations of food items are also being collected at Lisai's Market and M&T Bank in Bellows Falls.
"This is our major opportunity to get stocked up with food for the busy holiday season ahead," Our Place Executive Director David Billings says in a news release.
In addition to dropping off food, donors can visit an online site that allows anyone to "buy" a seat at the Opera House with a $20 donation.
"That $20 represents a food box for a family," says Billings. "We have better leverage with our food dollars than the average shopper, so donating money stretches the dollars even further."
"We are also very proud to be among the handful of small communities in Vermont that provide hot meals daily to anyone in need," he added.
Two local businesses came up with clever ways to support the food pantry while having some fun along the way, he says.
Weekly food-themed events at Chroma Technology began with Anything's Pastable, with a pasta build challenge, followed by Eat Your Veggies and Share Them Too, featuring a cornhole tournament, barbecue, and chili cookoff. Next up is Cereal-iously, a cereal-based baking contest.
"We've worked harder this year to promote more facts about the food shelf and food items," says Janette Bombardier, one of the organizers of the events.
Employees of both Chroma and nearby Sonnax joined forces to create a "can-struction" for display in the window of Edward Jones on the Square, using canned goods and pasta boxed structures in a clever rendition of the town hall, opera house, and clock tower across the street, with a working clock. The structure represents 125 pounds of food.
Donations can be made at ourplacevermont.org/events any time or by stopping by the Opera house during the drive. Further information about the drive is available at ourplacevermont.org or by calling 802-463-2217.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.