FRANKFORT, Ky. — Attorney General Andy Beshear has announced that the Kentucky legal community raised the equivalent of 400,000 meals through donations of funds and volunteer time during the third annual Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy. Lawyers and staff competed outside the courtroom for eight days to raise resources for the Feeding Kentucky food bank network. The competition took place March 11th – 18th, 2019.
“The resources raised by Kentucky’s legal community will put food on the table of Kentuckians who struggle with hunger,” said Tamara Sandberg, Feeding Kentucky executive director. “It will mean so much to the many Kentucky families who must make the agonizing choice between paying for food and paying for medicine or utilities. Our food bank network is grateful to all who worked hard to help stock the shelves of food banks.”
A partnership between the Office of the Attorney General, Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and Feeding Kentucky (formerly the Kentucky Association of Food Banks), the Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy is timed to help food banks prepare for increased demand during the summer months when children do not have access to school meals. Nearly all — 94 percent — of Kentucky’s food bank client households with school-aged children receive free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program. However, only one in thirteen school-aged children in Kentucky who receive free and reduced-priced lunch during the school year have access to such meals during the summer months when school is out. The proceeds of the campaign will help food banks prepare for the increased demand for food assistance from families of school-aged children during the summer months.
A total of over 1,800 attorneys licensed in Kentucky competed for the grand prize, the Attorney General’s Cup. Frost Brown Todd, LLC won the competition by raising the equivalent of 42,315 pounds of food.
Kentucky’s law schools held their own competition. University of Kentucky’s College of Law won the division title this year by raising the equivalent of 8,000 pounds of food.
“Congratulations to the 2019 Attorney General’s Cup winner Frost Brown Todd, LLC, the law school winner UK College of Law and all of the 2019 Kentucky Legal Frenzy winners,” said Beshear. “I am proud of Kentucky’s legal community for their generosity toward their neighbors struggling with hunger – but the true winners of this completion are the children who will receive healthy, balanced meals this summer.”
“Kentucky’s legal community is honored to help fight hunger in Kentucky,” said Elizabeth Combs, Young Lawyers Division member and campaign Co-Chair. “We are grateful for the opportunity to ensure those who need food – a basic necessity – have access to it.”
In the three years of the campaign, the equivalent of over 1.2 million meals has raised for Kentucky’s food banks.
Kentucky’s seven regional food banks serve 53,000 Kentuckians each week in partnership with 800 local charitable feeding organizations. The donations collected during the Legal Food Frenzy will benefit a local food pantry that serves each donor’s community.
Beshear expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the 2019 competition. “I would like to thank Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Chair Jennifer Overmann and campaign Co-Chairs Elizabeth Combs of Young Lawyers Division and Susan Rieber in my office. Their hard work and dedication were key to making the Legal Food Frenzy a success. I appreciate the generosity of all of the Kentucky lawyers and legal staff who contributed to this important effort.”
Winners of the 2019 Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy
Grand Prize Winner
Frost Brown Todd, LLC: 42,315 pounds
(Louisville and Lexington)
Large Firm
Stoll, Keenon, Ogden PLLC: 326 pounds per attorney (35,550 pounds total)
(Louisville and Lexington)
Medium Firm
Schiller Barnes Maloney, PLLC: 822 pounds per attorney (13,150 pounds total)
(Louisville)
Small Firm
Sheffer Law Firm: 2,513 pounds per attorney (10,050 pounds total)
(Louisville)
Solo Firm
Hicks and Funfsinn, PLLC: 4,233 pounds per attorney
(Lexington)
Government and Public Service
Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office: 40,076 pounds
(Louisville)
Law School
University of Kentucky College of Law: 8,000 pounds
(Lexington)
Corporate
GE Appliances: 14,750 pounds
(Louisville)
State Bar Association District Winner
Second District: 2,167 pounds per attorney (27,200 pounds total)
For more information, visit www.KyFoodFrenzy.org.
About Feeding Kentucky
Feeding Kentucky (formerly Kentucky Association of Food Banks) is comprised of seven Feeding America food banks that reach all 120 counties of Kentucky and serve an estimated one in seven of all Kentuckians annually. Last year, its members distributed 64 million meals in partnership with more than 800 charitable feeding agencies such as pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community, visit FeedingKy.org.
— Feeding Kentucky
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