The Salvation Army has joined forces with local Christian radio station K-LIFE 89.3 FM to offer a free benefit concert tonight to raise money for the victims of the La Conchita mudslide.

Paul Wright, a modern Christian rock artist, is taking a break from his U.S. tour to headline the concert, which will be held from 7 to 9:30 at the Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara, which is located at 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 21. John Michael Morgenstern, marketing specialist for K-LIFE Radio, said he expects a near-capacity audience of 700 people to attend the concert.

Morgenstern said all donations from the concert will go directly to relief efforts through the Salvation Army. He said local real estate agency Mike Richardson, Realtors is sponsoring the event by covering all of the administrative costs involved.

“We generally see about three dollars [donated] per person, which would be over $2,000,” Morgenstern said. “I’m hoping for a lot more. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw closer to $5,000.”

Morgenstern said he expects the concert to draw a large crowd because the mudslide affected so many local residents. He said K-LIFE decided that the event would be a good way for the radio station to help the families who were devastated by the mudslides, which killed 10 people and left dozens homeless.

“When the tragedy in La Conchita happened, our staff got together and said we wanted to do something,” Morgenstern said. “I called the Salvation Army and everybody jumped on the idea.”

Halfway through the concert, Morgenstern said, K-LIFE will show a presentation highlighting the work the Salvation Army has done after the mudslide.

“We will have firsthand accounts from the victims,” Morgenstern said. “It’s going to be pretty intense.” Lt. Nigel Cross, planning officer for the Salvation Army, said that during the incident the organization helped those affected by providing clothing and shelter. Cross said it also served four meals per day and numerous snacks to the rescue workers and displaced families.

“We were feeding approximately 350 to 400 meals a day to anyone that needed to be fed,” Cross said.

The Salvation Army has received relatively few donations for its disaster relief efforts thus far, Cross said. The organization only takes contributions of money, leaving donations such as clothing and food to other charities such as the American Red Cross.