Thanksgiving may be two weeks away, but New York’s hometown band is ready for it now: Today, at its first Young People’s Concert of the season, the New York Philharmonic is teaming up with the Food Bank for New York City for a family-friendly food drive.

They’ll be collecting all kinds of non-perishable foods today in the Avery Fisher Hall lobby from 12:45 to 2:30 p.m., during Kidzone Live!, the interactive part of the program.

That’s when kids get to try out instruments and hear the players perform up-close and personal.

The concert starts at 2 p.m. with John Morris Russell conducting a program of holiday favorites: Sousa’s “Hands Across the Sea” and “Washington Post” marches, Copland’s “Simple Gifts,” Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” and portions of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, better known as “From the New World.”

There’ll also be bits and pieces from the Philharmonic’s favorite son, Leonard Bernstein; a performance by dancers from the National Dance Institute, and one powerful singer: baritone Nmon Ford, whose first name looks as if it’s missing a vowel but who isn’t likely to miss a note of the old Foster song, “Old Folks at Home.”

For tickets ($6 to $25) visit the box office at Broadway at 65th Street. For more info, call (212) 875-5656.