BENTON - A stage combat workshop scheduled for this weekend will allow participants to "fight" each other - and help whip hunger at the same time.

Actor and fight choreographer Codey Girten, a former Benton resident, will present the "Sock It To 'Em" workshop that will double as a benefit for local food pantries.

A donation of 10 canned good items or $10 will earn entry to the workshop at Benton Consolidated High School Sunday afternoon.

Girten, who just completed a three-month run in a Shanghai show, is based in Manhattan but is home for the Thanksgiving holiday. He said when his parents, Donnie and Lyndy Girten, told him of the need at food pantries, he decided to help by staging a bene-fit.

Donations from the public will be matched by Girten's parents in honor of his grandparents, the late Elmer and Lois Jenkins.

Benton-West City Ministerial Alliance food pantry director Vicki Seagle said the benefit couldn't come at a better time. The pantry has seen an increase in need in recent months.

"Poverty is no. 1 in this area. We're seeing a lot of new people come in - people who were working and established but when they lost their jobs, they lost everything," she said.

Last year at this time, the pantry served 200 families; this year, that number has increased to more than 500, Seagle said.

While the need has increased dramatically, the tough economic times have caused a decrease in donations, she said.

"We've been hitting rock bottom. Right now, thanks to a great response from the community, we have about a month's supply, but it won't last," she said.

That's why Girten's benefit is so important, she said.

"The need is constant," she said. "We're thrilled to death he's offered to help."

Workshop participants acquire "the skills that will allow you to do more realistic fights - and keep actors from getting hurt," Girten, 24, said. "You'll learn the skills and have fun while doing it."

Girten learned stage combat while a student at Indiana University and said the skills have helped him in his career.

"The more you know how to do in this business, the better your chances of getting a job," he said, but the skills aren't just for the theatrically-inclined. "Staging a fight could be a fun way to freak your family out at Thanksgiving."

The workshop is open to all, Girten said, and the donations will go to food pantries in the participants' communities.

Sign-up sheets are available at many local pantries, but donations and registration can be made at the workshop.

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