Georgia Mountain Food Bank (GMFB) is excited to partner with the Georgia legal community again this year to fight hunger through the sixth annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy competition scheduled for April 17 through 28.

“Year after year, we are blown away at the continued support of our legal community,” said Kay Blackstock, executive director of GMFB. “This competition is a great opportunity to gather the legal community together and rally them among a common cause.”

Georgia Legal Food Frenzy is a partnership between the Georgia Attorney General, the Young Lawyers Division and the Georgia Food Bank Association. Lawyers statewide are challenged to compete outside the courtroom to raise food and funds for Georgia’s eight regional food banks. Together, the food banks distribute 140 million pounds of food annually through a network of nearly 2,400 partner nonprofits with food assistance programs in all 159 counties in Georgia.

All of the food and funds collected are donated to the regional food bank that serves each competitor’s community. Last year the competition reached a milestone, raising more than five million pounds of food in its first five years.

“The involvement of our local firms in Legal Food Frenzy makes a huge impact on our efforts in North Georgia,” Blackstock said. “The food and monetary contributions we collect during the competition stay in our region, helping to serve more than 66 of Georgia Mountain Food Bank’s partner agencies throughout our service area of Hall, Dawson, Forsyth, Union and Lumpkin counties.”

Nearly 60 percent of Georgia’s public school students are eligible for either a free or reduced lunch each day, but fewer than 15 percent have access to a lunch program during the summer. The competition is timed to help the food banks go into summer strong and well-stocked to meet the increased demand for food.

“After five successful Legal Food Frenzy competitions, the legal community is proud to continue to help provide food for Georgians who are in need,” said Patrick T. O’Connor, State Bar of Georgia president. “This is a great way for the state bar to encourage Georgia lawyers and bar associations to get involved with the community and participate in a rewarding project. We are looking forward to raising the bar higher this year and making the sixth annual Legal Food Frenzy one of the best competitions yet.”

At the state level, the winner will receive the highly coveted “Attorney General’s Cup” from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Awards also will be given in Sole Proprietor, Small Firm, Medium Firm, Large Firm, Legal Organization and Corporate Law Firm divisions. Any firm in the state can win since the awards are based on a per person average (pounds raised divided by the number of employees in the firm).

“This campaign will assist many families in our state by putting food on their table, and it provides an excellent opportunity for public-private sector entities to challenge each other outside the office or the courtroom for a worthy cause,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “We are looking forward to what we know will be another successful competition, and we are honored to do our part.”

In 2016 GMFB’s service area had 17 teams participate, collecting 1,063.1 pounds of food and raising $14,756.96.

“With one in four children in Georgia living in homes that can’t regularly put food on the table, this campaign is vitally important to GMFB and all the food banks in the state,” Blackstock concluded. “Here in north Georgia thousands of children, seniors, individuals and families are turning to GMFB and our partners each month for help. We already have 12 teams signed up in our area so far, but it is not too late for others to join — because it takes us all coming together to have an impact on hunger.”

For more information about how you can become involved with GMFB or participate in LFF, call 770-534-4111 or click here.