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WINSTON-SALEM - The Winston-Salem Symphony has been moving audiences with its music for more than half a century, conducting dozens of performances a year, from pops to classical.

But this week, Music Director Robert Moody said the group is preparing to give one of its greatest performances yet. The symphony is collecting food for the Second Harvest Food Bank during this weekend's Orchestral Headliners concert at the Stevens Center.

Moody said he believes combining the two will create a perfect partnership.

"In this time of economic crisis and need, we all understand that it's time for everybody to pitch in," he said.

Concert goers who donate non-perishable foods – like canned meats, fruits, and vegetables – will receive a voucher for a free ticket to their Kick-Back Classics Series in March, April or May.

Chuck Harmon, head of food bank's food drive campaign, says it couldn't come at a more critical time.

"Our donations are down, but the amount of people that are needing food has risen as much as 100 percent in a lot of places," Harmon said. "At our last count there was about 150,000 people in that 18 counties that were dependent on these agencies for food. And we know that number has grown dramatically."

Harmon estimates they need more than 10 million pounds of food to meet the growing need, and warns it's going to take the whole community to conquer the problem.

"If people reach into their cabinet, if offices and businesses say, 'We're not just going to do a food drive at Christmas, we're going to do one once a quarter,' if people really respond to this crisis, yes, we'll be able to," Harmon said.