The annual Circle of Concern Benefit Concert will be held Nov. 21 and will feature the Lafayette Jazz Ensemble and Genesis Jazz Project. This concert will help aid Circle of Concern Food Pantry, who serves the Parkway, Rockwood and Valley Park School Districts, with non-perishable food.

“[Lafayette Jazz Ensemble] teamed up with the Genesis Jazz Project about five to six years ago to do this concert on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving every year. All of it’s for Circle of Concern and is a great way to give back to the community and have a good music night doing it,” band director, Brad Balog said.

According to their website, the Genesis Jazz Project is a St. Louis based Jazz ensemble that features local musicians, works to promote Jazz music, and gives back to the community through various fundraisers and charity concerts.

“Genesis Jazz Project actually started the concert several years ago. They used to do it out of a church in town that didn’t hold a whole lot of people, and they wanted to expand their footprint with it. Lafayette and the Genesis Jazz Project had been doing some shared concerts in the past and they approached us to do a shared Circle of Concern concert, and we’ve been doing it ever since,” Balog said.

The concert will help collect non-perishables for the Circle of Concern food pantry.

“[Jazz Ensemble] likes doing this concert to support an organization that supports families in our building and the Rockwood School District. Also it is an opportunity for us to showcase the amazing talent of our students and let them perform,” he said.

The concert will take place in the Auditorium at 7 p.m. The cost of admission is $10 or five non-perishable food items. The concert is a way for people to have local entertainment as well as provides a way to help support Circle of Concern.

“It will be a fun night of music. You’re going to hear two really good bands that are there to support the community, and this always seems like a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday too,” Balog said.

Circle of Concern is a local food pantry serving west St. Louis County and part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, serving approximately 2,000 individuals monthly and more than 1,200 households annually. Circle of Concern also offers services such as financial support and job mentoring. A list of non-perishable food items they need can be found on their website.