Trinity Rep Raises Over $44,000 for RI Community Food Bank During 2012 Holiday Season

Trinity Rep has announced that during the months of November and December they collected $44,400 in cash donations to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Continuing their longtime practice of acting as a holiday drop-off location for food donations, the theater also concluded each performance of their holiday classic A Christmas Carol with a collection for the Food Bank. The donation was made on behalf of the thousands of Trinity Rep patrons attending the show, the theater's staff and ushers. The partnership between the two institutions has, even through challenging economic times, brought the total dollar amount raised for the Food Bank throughout the seven year partnership to nearly $260,000. Additionally, Trinity Rep is pleased to announce that hey donated 150 tickets to a performance of A Christmas Carol To Food Bank clients and their families, through the Open Access Theater program, generously funded by Citizens Bank.

"Trinity Rep has been a longtime supporter of the work that the Rhode Island Community Food Bank does in our community," states Curt Columbus, Trinity Rep's Richard L. Bready Artistic Director. "This is our seventh season raising awareness and donations for the Food Bank, and we were overwhelmed with our patrons' generosity this year. We nearly doubled last year's total , raising over $44,400 through donations of cash, checks, and, yes, pocket change - money that will go directly to families in need in our state. On behalf of the entire Trinity Rep staff, we are proud to continue such an essential and prolific partnership."

"The community really comes together at Trinity Rep to show they care about their fellow Rhode Islanders," said Andrew Schiff, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. "It's extremely heartwarming to see the generous outpouring from Trinity patrons. This gift couldn't come at a more critical time, with more than 66,000 people relying on food pantries every month just to get by."

The number of people served by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank's network of emergency food pantries jumped by 10% in the last year. One in three persons receiving food is a child under the age of 18. Rhode Island currently has the highest rate of food insecurity in New England, which means that many families are struggling to keep food on the table.

"In addition to this important donation of food and funds, Trinity Rep makes it possible for dozens of our families in need to attend A Christmas Carol," said Schiff. "This act of generosity profoundly reflects the message of the play and reminds us all to reach out with kindness to the least fortunate among us."

Since its founding in 1963, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Featuring the last permanent resident Acting Company in America, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an estimated annual audience of approximately 120,000. In its almost 50-year history, the theater has produced 61 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its MFA program, trained hundreds of new actors and directors. This season marks the 46th year of Project Discovery, Trinity Rep's pioneering educational outreach program. Last season, Trinity Rep's educational programs reached nearly 15,000 Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut students through matinees as well as in-school residencies and workshops. Brown University/Trinity Rep offers professional training for actors and directors in a three-year MFA program. Trinity Rep's 49th Season continues with the world premiere of Social Creatures by Jackie Sibblies Drury and House & Garden, an epic duo of interconnected plays by Alan Ayckbourn performed simultaneously in our upstairs and downstairs theaters. For more information, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com.

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is a non-profit organization located in Providence, RI. The Food Bank solicits stores and distributes food products donated by supermarkets, wholesalers, food processors, local farmers and community food drives. The food is then distributed to the Food Bank's statewide network of 238 member agency programs. In the past year, the Food Bank distributed 9.75 million pounds of food. For more information about the Food Bank, visit www.rifoodbank.org.