NILES —  The next show in the Summer Concert Series in the Park will give those who attend the chance to listen to some Broadway show tunes and support their local food pantry.

Pastor Jeff Whittaker, of Niles, will perform at 6 p.m. Thursday, at the Riverfront Park Amphitheater. The concert is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending are asked to bring a nonperishable food item or school supplies to donate. The items will go to the Niles Salvation Army. Monetary donations will also be accepted for the pantry, as well as the Herbie Health Clinic.

Lt. Joseph Hixenbaugh, of the Niles Salvation Army, encouraged people to bring donations to the event.

“These items will help us provide either meals [or school supplies],” Hixenbaugh said. “We will be putting the school supplies in backpacks, when we do backpack distribution in the middle of August.”

As for the music, Whittaker said people can expect to hear a collection of Broadway hits and classics. Whittaker will sing to an orchestral track and he expects that the audience will find many favorites to sing along to, he said. For example, he will sing “Tomorrow,” “You Will Never Walk Alone” and “Climb Every Mountain.”

Whittaker has served as a pastor for Michiana Christian Embassy for the past 24 years and music has always been an important part of his work.

Whittaker said he first began pursuing his passion for music while at Niles High School, where he took part in a number of the school’s musicals. He was later awarded a music scholarship from Western Michigan University, where he would earn some credits before transferring to Indiana University and eventually finishing his bachelor’s degree at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis in 1989.

Before becoming a pastor, Whittaker traveled the country from 1981 to 1985 doing commercial recordings for some big companies, including Disney and NBC.

“It was fun to work and gain that kind of experience,” Whittaker said.

When he followed his other passion to be a pastor in 1994, Whittaker would continue to use his love for music to engage with people he pastored to. During regular mission trips to other countries, Whittaker said he often performs Broadway show tunes and finds that the music universally connects people across the world.

“You can go into a university, a civic auditorium, those kinds of places and sing those really incredible uplifting songs, like ‘Climb Every Mountain’,” Whittaker said. “There’s an aspiration in there. There’s a promise and a quest and that touches people’s hearts.”

This week, Whittaker will don his tuxedo and croon the Broadway show tunes that have enchanted people across countries.

“It’s going to be a great celebration for the community,” Whittaker said. “There is going to be something in the music for everybody. It’s going to be a wonderful time.”