Benefit Concert by Jim Brickman to Aid Food Bank of Western New York

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present a concert to benefit the Food Bank of Western New York featuring musician Jim Brickman. Co-presented by WJYE 96.1 FM, the concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Admission is free; cash donations will be accepted at the door for the Food Bank of Western New York. Tickets will be general admission and will be available only on the night of performance. Tickets at the benefit concert will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. No advance tickets will be available. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. performance. Following the concert, Brickman will sign autographs in the lobby.

The mission of the Food Bank is to obtain food and support from public and private sources and distribute these resources to affiliated charitable providers such as soup kitchens, pantries and shelters. Each month, 91,000 hungry Western New Yorkers, 40 percent of whom are children, turn to soup kitchens, food pantries and other emergency food providers for assistance. A nonprofit clearinghouse for food solicited from the private sector, the Food Bank of Western New York serves as a bridge between available food sources and the hungry.

"Part of the Center for the Arts' mission is to present various cultural opportunities for the university community and the community at large," said Thomas B. Burrows, director of the Center for the Arts. "The center is proud to work with Jim Brickman and WJYE-FM in presenting this benefit concert for the Food Bank of Western New York, a worthwhile organization that helps thousands of Western New Yorkers on a year-round basis."

The performance coincides with the release of Bricknam's new recording, book and song, all titled "Simple Things."

For more information, call 645-ARTS or visit http://www.arts.buffalo.edu or http://www.wjye.com.