Challenges Each Lawyer Across Georgia to Donate Equivalent of One Billable Hour

Atlanta, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that registration is open for the 8th Annual Legal Food Frenzy, a statewide food and fundraising competition among Georgia’s lawyers to help end hunger across the state. The 2019 competition will take place April 22 – May 3, 2019 and is done in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the State Bar of Georgia and the Georgia Food Bank Association.

Those who want to participate can register and learn more at www.galegalfoodfrenzy.org.

Nearly 1 in 5 children in Georgia are at risk for hunger, and over 60 percent of Georgia’s public school students are eligible for free or reduced cost meals each day. For these kids, the last day of school is not always a happy occasion. Over the summer, their families often struggle to put enough food on the table without the daily guarantee of school meals. This is where the food banks and Georgia’s lawyers come in.

The Legal Food Frenzy is strategically timed to help stock the food banks to meet this need and help people like Clara Bennet, a retired school nurse who raises her two great-grandchildren and once worried about how they would make it through the summer without the meals from school. This past summer, she began receiving prepared lunches to fill the summer meal gap through the help of her regional food bank and a community program they partnered with. “It works for us,” said Bennett, 88. "[Without it,] sometimes we just would not have a middle of the day meal. It makes a more nutritious meal, and we certainly enjoy every bite of it.”

“The Legal Food Frenzy is an incredible cause, and every year I see engagement and passion from lawyers across the state,” said Attorney General Carr.“We are excited to kick these efforts off once again, and this year I have a new challenge. Time is a lawyer’s most valuable asset, and what better way to dedicate our time than to fighting hunger and ensuring our kids don’t have to wonder when their next meal will be? For this reason, I challenge each lawyer across the state to donate the equivalent of one billable hour during the competition. It’s that simple. One billable hour to provide meals to kids who need them over the summer. One hour to help us end hunger across Georgia.”

"The State Bar is excited to participate in the Legal Food Frenzy for the eighth consecutive year," said State Bar of Georgia Incoming President Darrell Sutton. "I am grateful Attorney General Carr has once again provided Georgia's legal community, led by our young lawyers, the opportunity to ensure those who need food – a basic necessity - have access to it. This year’s Billable Hour Challenge, a great idea by General Carr, only enhances that opportunity. I hope every other Georgia lawyer joins me in donating the equivalent of one billable hour to the Legal Food Frenzy."

“We are so grateful to continue this partnership with the Office of the Attorney General, the Georgia State Bar, and the Young Lawyers Division,” said Executive Director of the Georgia Food Bank Association, Danah Craft. “In the last seven years of the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, Georgia’s legal community raised the equivalent of 7.9 million meals for the food bank network. We are incredibly grateful for their continued passion to help end hunger in Georgia and we cannot wait to see how they rise to Attorney General Carr’s Billable Hour Challenge this year!”

The 7th Annual Legal Food Frenzy in 2018 raised a record $400,325 and 18,809 pounds of food, the equivalent of over 1.61 million meals for Georgia’s food banks. Last year’s Attorney General’s Cup winner was Joe S. Habachy, PC, Attorney at Law of Atlanta with the most raised per employee, and the Bar President’s Award went to Coleman Talley LLP of Valdosta who raised the most overall.

The competition is open to all lawyers in the state of Georgia with special awards categories for solo, small, medium and large-sized firms as well as corporate/in-house counsel, judges and legal organizations. For the purpose of the competition, every 1 dollar raised during the two-weeks is four points, and every one pound of food raised is one point, with various bonus point opportunities. All of the food and funds collected are donated to the regional food bank that serves each competitor’s respective community.

The Legal Food Frenzy is spearheaded by a team of young lawyers who oversee the promotion of the competition across the state. The 2019 efforts are being led by YLD Legal Food Frenzy Co-Chairs Justin Oliverio, Morgan Lyndall and Cameron Roberts, as well as regional representatives listed at galegalfoodfrenzy.org/leadership.