Food, Glorious Food! PTC Partners with Utah Food Bank During Run of OLIVER!

Pioneer Theatre Company, continuing a tradition that began in 2011, begins its annual holiday drive coinciding with the opening of the musical, Oliver!

Patrons are requested to bring canned or boxed food and drop them off in the theatre lobby before the performance they are attending. Oliver! runs from December 2 to December 17, 2016.

"We're happy to continue this tradition with Utah Food Bank," said Chris Lino, Managing Director for Pioneer Theatre Company. "We have hundreds of patrons coming in every night, filled with holiday spirit, and Utah Food Bank is a wonderful partner to harness the spirit of Christmas giving."

"Pioneer Theatre Company's patrons were so generous when we partnered with them in 2012 and again in 2015; we are thrilled that they are bringing their patrons to the table again this year to help us fight hunger in Utah," said Ginette Bott, Utah Food Bank Chief Development Officer.

The theatre will collect donations in the lobby throughout the run of Oliver!. Volunteers will deliver donations to Utah Food Bank.

Pioneer Theatre Company presents Oliver!, the Charles Dickens' classic turning into a musical, Friday, December 2 through Saturday, December 17, 2016. No ticket is required to make a donation in the theatre's lobby.

For ticket information, visit www.pioneertheatre.org.

Pioneer Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah's only fully professional theatre, performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is also available and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.

Founded in 1904, Utah Food Bank has operated under various names but has always remained true to our mission of Fighting Hunger Statewide. 423,000 Utahns, which equates to 1 in 7 Utahns, are at risk of missing a meal today. Even more alarming is that 1 in 5 Utah kids are unsure where their next meal is coming from. With your support last year, we distributed over 37.5 million pounds of food, the equivalent of over 31 million meals, to people facing hunger across the state.