Friday, November 4, 2011

Help to End Hunger with Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

Access of West Michigan and Broadway Grand Rapids hope to encourage families in the greater Grand Rapids community to count your blessings - and share them. Throughout the eight performance run of Irving Berlin's White Christmas at DeVos Performance Hall (Nov. 15 - 20) the area wide food pantry program and Broadway Grand Rapids will partner to present theater patrons with an opportunity to help fellow West Michigan residents who are in need by donating non-perishable food items. These will be gathered in the theater lobby and distributed to those less fortunate through the various Access food pantries throughout Kent County. The title song of this musical classic is, of course, White Christmas, but another in the many memorable melodies is, in fact, Count Your Blessings. The main storyline behind the musical itself is tied to friendship and sharing, a wonderful community message as we go into the holiday season.

During all 8 performances of White Christmas, patrons are encouraged to bring and donate non-perishable food items that will be distributed to Access food pantries. Each person who donates receives a special ornament to place on our holiday tree in the DeVos Performance Hall lobby. Prior to each performance, one winner will be selected from those that have donated. Prizes include tickets to upcoming shows, overnight stays at the JW Marriot and the Amway Grand Plaza, and dinner gift certificates among others. At the conclusion of the week's performances, the fully decorated tree will then be donated to an Access food pantry site for their holiday festivities. Tickets for Irving Berlin's White Christmas are now on sale and are available at ticketmaster.com.