North Texas Food Bank and members of the North Texas legal community joined together for the annual “Food from the Bar” campaign, which encourages law firms and legal departments to donate, host food drives and volunteer service to help mitigate the gap in free food students receive during the summer.
“The legal community is making a life-changing difference for families across North Texas,” said Johnny Jenkins, strategic initiatives manager for the North Texas Food Bank. “Because of the meals they enabled, children will be able to enjoy their summer and return to school nourished and ready to learn.”
This year, the legal professionals raised $145,718, collected 940 lbs. of food and contributed 212 hours of volunteer service, culminating in an event on May 28 that honored top-performing firms, according to a press release:
- Partner 4 Hope Award (Top Team Per Capita) – Simon Greenstone Panatier
- Power of Attorney Award (Top Team Overall) – Vinson & Elkins
- New Counsel Award – Walters Balido & Crain
- #RaiseTheBar Award (Most Active Social Media Campaign) – Waters Kraus Paul
- Can-Do Award (Most Food Collected) – Bank of America Legal Department
- Collective Force Award (Most Volunteers) – Kershaw Anderson King
- Broadest Appeal Award (Most Diverse Involvement) – Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
“We’re incredibly thankful to the legal community for stepping up to help feed children during the summer,” said Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “Their generosity and commitment have made a real difference, especially at a time when many kids lose access to regular meals. Texas leads the nation in food insecurity for the second year in a row. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone, 1.3 million people face hunger, including 1 in 5 children in our service area. Summer should be a time for play, not hunger. Because of your support, we can provide kids with the nutritious meals they need to thrive.”
Participating legal organizations include Akin Gump; Bank of America Legal Department; Byrd Adatto; Bar Committee for Community Involvement; Carter Arnett Bennett & Perez; Dallas Bar Association; Dallas Trial Lawyers Association; Dean, Omar, Branham & Shirley, LLP; Fulton Jeang; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP; Kershaw; Anderson King; PepsiCo, Inc.; Quilling Selander Lownds Winslett & Moser; Sheppard Mullin & Dedman School of Law; Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC; Vinson & Elkins; Walters, Balido & Crain Attorneys at Law anf Waters, Kraus, & Paul.
