From Don Covington

300h, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey collected close to 1,400 pounds of food to help stock Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida's pantry shelves during last week's drive-through food drive at Orlando's Amway Center and subsequent drop-off event. That amount of food equates to about 980 meals to feed the needy in Central Florida. Ringling Bros. has raised more than 10,000 pounds of food for the food bank since 2009. Between 7 and 9 a.m. on Nov. 17, Central Floridians dropped off bags of non-perishable food items in exchange for free vouchers to "Dragons," the all-new 142nd edition of "The Greatest Show On Earth." A donation of 10 unexpired food items entitled each consumer to one voucher, with a limit of four vouchers (for 40 food items) per household. There were later drop-off opportunities at the food bank. "Dragons" will be presented at Orlando's Amway Center in January. Donors didn't even have to leave their cars to participate in the drive-through donations; volunteers — plus Ringling Bros. clown Todd Zimmerman — came to their vehicles to exchange passes for food. "This format works very well for us to collect a significant amount of donations in just two hours," said Sasha Hausman, development manager for the food bank. "We are very thankful to the Central Florida community for their response, to Ringling Bros. and the Amway Center for their partnership, and especially to … volunteers from United Healthcare, Marriott International and Marriott Orlando World Center Resort's Giving Chance team. During this economic downturn, the demand for our services is greater than ever and we have an ongoing need for donations." Second Harvest secures and distributes food and grocery products to about 500 agencies that feed the hungry throughout Central Florida. Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson will preside over "Dragons," a celebratory tournament of circus champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with authentic circus feats. "Dragons" will be in Orlando Jan. 12-16. Tickets are $85 (Circus Celebrity), $65 (Front Row), $40 (VIP), $25, $20 and $15.Ticketmaster service charges and facility fees not included. All seats are reserved, and tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25. Tickets are available at http://www.ringling.com or http://www.ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster outlet, by calling 1-800-745-3000, or at the Amway Center box office (phone: 407-440-7900). For group ticket sales and information, call 866-248-8740.