POCATELLO – The Feeding the 5,000 food drive kicked off Saturday with the 16th annual Interfaith concert at St. Joseph’s Chapel.

    Members of the Central Christian Church Praise Team presented a prelude for the event which featured performances by Anne Soto, the Snake River New Horizon Band and the Portneuf Blue Grass Band.

    Norma Boyd of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints performed “The Generous Will Be Blessed,” the theme song for the 2013 food drive.

    Pastor Craig Pesti-Strobel from the United Methodist Church gave the closing prayer and worshippers gathered at the Bannock Youth Foundation building for refreshments following the concert.

    A hand-crafted quilt will be raffled off  and tickets will be sold through the end of the food drive.

    Organizer Lynda Montgomery said the Feed the 5,000 food drive continues until March 31.

    A progressive dinner is planned for March 16.

    “The event is not new, but we’re doing it a little different this year,” Montgomery said.

    The dinner starts with appetizers at the First Presbyterian Church on South 7th Ave. then progresses to the Central Christian Church on East Center for soup and salad. The main course will be served at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on South 7th Ave. and St Anthony’s Catholic Church, located on North 7th Ave. will host dessert.

    The cost of the dinner is $15 each or $25 per couple.

    “One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Idaho Food Bank,” Montgomery said.

    On March 30, members of the interfaith group will be at Albertson’s on East Benton Street, Ridley’s on North Main Street, Fred Meyer on Yellowstone Ave. and Smith’s in Chubbuck collecting food donations.

    Montgomery said all food and cash donation will go to the Idaho Food Bank and then to pantries throughout the region.

    Donations of canned food and money can be made at most local churches, the Idaho Food Bank at 555 South 1st Ave. and at the following local credit unions; Advantage Plus, Pocatello Simplot, Pocatello Federal Railroad, ESIC and Mountain America.

    The Feeding the 5,000 campaign comes to an end on April 8 with closing celebrations at the Idaho Food Bank.

    Believed to be the longest running interfaith food drive in the United States, the Feeding the 5,000 drive has collected over one million pounds of food. This year’s goal is to net 220,000 pounds of food.