Over $16,800 raised for Food Pantry by Harvest Concerts

Des Moines, IA—Over $16,800 was raised at the two Harvest Concerts held by Jennifer Foote Shide and her intrepid band of singers and musicians during two concerts during the weekend of November 8-9.
This amount exceeded last year’s amount of $13,150. During the previous nine years of the Harvest Concerts, whose proceeds benefit the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry, at least $54,000 has been raised.
Over one hundred singers and musicians performed a variety of numbers at this year’s concerts, whose theme was “Do You Feel the Rhythm?”. Among them were “Sing Unto The Lord”, by Elaine Hagenberg, performed by the We Got Male and We Got Female vocal ensembles; De’meibollenti spiriti”, from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata, performed by Kenton Jordan; “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” by Garth Brooks and Kent Blazy, performed by Annelise Cheramie, and “Dream”, by the Everly Brothers, performed by the Tenor B-flat vocal ensemble.
The concerts started in 2005 with one concert at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines. Growing audiences prompted two concerts to be performed in 2010. Last year, there were three concerts at Union Park United Methodist Church in Des Moines. This year, one concert was held at Union Park United Methodist Church and one concert was held at First Christian Church near Drake University. Over 112 people were involved in the performances, from singing to behind-the-scenes work such as ushering.
According to the program for the concerts, Shide is hinting at bigger goals. “Could we possibly raise $100,000”, she asked in the program notes.