Join the Legal Feeding Frenzy to Fight Hunger in North Carolina
March 1 marks the beginning of the Young Lawyers Division’s Legal Feeding Frenzy, a month-long food and fund drive benefitting Feeding the Carolinas food banks.
The Legal Feeding Frenzy was established by the Young Lawyers Division in 2013, in partnership with Feeding the Carolinas and the Office of Attorney General, and is supported by a grant from the North Carolina Bar Foundation. The Legal Feeding Frenzy is a friendly fundraising competition among North Carolina’s law firms, law schools, and other organizations.
All funds and food collected during the month of March are donated to the organization’s local Feeding the Carolinas food bank. The law firm, law school or organization that raises the most food per person is awarded the prestigious Attorney General’s Cup. Awards are also given for the top fundraiser in the categories of sole practitioner, small firm, medium firm, large firm, law school, public interest, and corporate/in-house counsel. This year, these awards will be presented by Attorney General Josh Stein in a virtual awards ceremony in April.
This will be the ninth year that the Young Lawyers Division will hold the Legal Feeding Frenzy, and it may be the most crucial year for this competition ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in food insecurity across our state. At the same time, our local food banks have faced a declining supply of food donations.
North Carolina has historically been one of the hungriest states in the United States. Prior to the pandemic, Feeding America reported that 1,456,200 North Carolinians were struggling with hunger, including 443,040 children. Across the state, 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 5 children were struggling with food insecurity. However, since the pandemic began, the need has only grown.
Feeding the Carolina estimates that the number of clients served by our state’s food banks has increased more than 30 percent and that food insecurity in North Carolina has increased from 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 5 children to almost 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 4 children. Our local food banks are struggling to meet this increased demand, but we can help!
The Legal Feeding Frenzy is an opportunity for the legal community to come together to make a difference in our state. For every dollar we raise, Feeding the Carolinas can provide roughly 5 meals for people in need. In 2020, Erin Ball and Michele Livingstone, co-chairs of the Legal Feeding Frenzy, led us to record-breaking success. Sixty teams participated in the Legal Feeding Frenzy in 2020 and raised more than $150,000, roughly equivalent to 600,000 pounds of food.
This year, the need to help hungry neighbors is greater than ever. Please join us for the 2021 Legal Feeding Frenzy and help us set a new record for this fundraiser! You can register your firm, school or organization here.
Together, we can make a difference for North Carolinians struggling with hunger.
Kristen Kirby is the 2020-21 chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.