Hungry for a holiday show? Help the hungry and get a ticket to 'A Christmas Carol'

Pack the House supports five local hunger relief and animal rescue organizations serving the Rochester area. (Ben Kramer Photography)

ROCHESTER - Rochester Opera House will celebrate their 3rd annual Pack the House event on Saturday where patrons can earn a chance to receive a free ticket with the donation of a bag of food, or a portion of their purchased ticket going to support five local hunger relief and animal rescue organizations serving the Rochester area.

"For the past three years, we have been blessed to be able to fill every seat in Rochester Opera House (over 750) with a bag of food or the funds to cover a bag of food," said ROH Associate Artistic Director Jenry Towle. "We want to spread the love and support of our community to as many as we can, so we split all of our donations evenly between organizations that benefit Rochester and our surrounding community."

In past years, Pack the House has been able to donate to Gather NH, End 68 Hours of Hunger, SHARE Fund, and the Grace Church Food Pantry. This year, they will add an additional organization to their fold - Pope Memorial Humane Society. Starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday patrons can drop off donated items to receive a complimentary ticket to a matinee showing of A Christmas Carol, or they can purchase a ticket at full price, with a portion of that ticket going to donations.

Organizations are requesting the following items: soup (not condensed), peanut butter, canned meat and vegetables, cereal, diapers (size 5-6), wet and dry pet food, and cat litter.

About Rochester Opera House

The historic Rochester Opera House, a not-for-profit organization, presents an annual performance season of shows for children, teens, adults, and seniors. Built within City Hall in 1908, this beautifully restored theater is the only remaining theater in the world with a unique mechanism that raises the orchestra floor at an incline for amphitheater seating and levels the floor for dancing. Our mission is to educate, engage, empower, challenge, and inspire a community of all ages by presenting extraordinary and culturally diverse theatre, performance art, music, dance, and film on the city's foremost performing arts stage. As we preserve our vibrant historic theater for future generations, we embrace the integration of a broad arts culture in our community. Through the cultivation of new performers, diversity of shows, and innovative arts education programs developed with an "ARTS FOR ALL" philosophy, we bring the incredible power of the arts to the widest possible audience.