Georgia lawyers compete to curb rising food insecurity
At a time when 1 in 5 Georgia children face food insecurity and the Atlanta Community Food Bank is serving 70% more people than four years ago, the state’s lawyers are competing to fix the problem.
Since 2012, many of Georgia’s 34,500 active attorneys have vied for the honor of raising the most money for the state’s food banks in an annual initiative spearheaded by the attorney general.
Now in its 15th year, the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy officially starts Monday. It has become the largest industry-led fundraiser for the Atlanta food bank, which serves 29 counties and is the fourth largest organization of its kind in the U.S. by distribution volume.
ACFB President and CEO Kyle Waide said the event comes at a critical time when skyrocketing demand for help shows no signs of slowing. He said his nonprofit is serving close to 270,000 households every month, representing about 12% of the total population in the wider Atlanta area.
“Across the state of Georgia, one in seven of our neighbors and one in five of our children face food insecurity,” Waide said at a kickoff event for the fundraiser. “As we go into the summer months, that demand is going to go up even more as our kids are out of school.”
Over 67% of Georgia’s public school students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the attorney general’s office says.
To date, the legal food frenzy has generated more than $6.6 million for Georgia food banks, representing over 29 million meals. Last year, more than $700,000 was donated, the equivalent of around 3 million meals.
“That’s not just a number,” Feeding Georgia Executive Director Julie Kuykendall said at the fundraiser kickoff. “That’s a child who didn’t go to bed hungry. That’s a senior who didn’t have to choose between food and medicine. That’s a family who had one less burden to carry.”
Over the next two weeks of fundraising, lawyers are encouraged to donate or solicit at least the equivalent of one billable hour with the goal of generating more than $1 million for food banks. Bragging rights and silverware are on the line for the law firms and legal organizations that raise the most money.
“It’s the least we can do,” said James Stevens, a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke who has been on the advisory board of the Atlanta Community Food Bank for years.
On Friday, a group of Legal Food Frenzy participants gathered at the food bank to sort donated items as part of the initiative. They’re among the thousands of individual donors and participants typically involved in the fundraiser, which is also open to judges, clerks and corporate counsel.
Between 80 and 130 law firms and legal organizations usually take part.
Georgia’s five law schools also get involved. In the law student competition held recently, a team from Mercer University School of Law claimed the trophy after raising more than $24,000.
“As lawyers, I feel like we’re uniquely situated to use our platform, not just because of the amount of people we meet but because people look to us as leaders,” said Jack Wareham, a former Mercer Law student who helped the school win the competition in previous years.
Attorney General Chris Carr said he’s proud to continue the effort in collaboration with Feeding Georgia and the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.
Last year, more than 9,000 members of the state’s legal community participated in 105 teams.
“Each year, Georgia’s legal community continues to raise the bar in the fight against hunger,” Carr said. “By donating the equivalent of just one billable hour, every lawyer in Georgia can make a meaningful impact for families across our state.”
About the Author
Journalist Rosie Manins is a legal affairs reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
