DALLAS, Texas, June 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North Texas law firms and legal organizations once again united to help the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) fight summer childhood hunger through a friendly competition called Food from the Bar. This year, the firms raised over $167,000 and provided access to nearly 520,000 nutritious meals for children who don’t always know where their next meal will come from. Since its inception in 2019, the campaign has raised nearly $678,000 for NTFB, providing access to more than 2 million meals.
Texas now leads the nation in hunger with a food insecurity rate of 16.4%, equating to nearly 5 million individuals facing hunger; alarmingly, over one-third of those affected are children. The 13 counties NTFB serves have the fourth-highest number of people facing hunger in the nation, with approximately 777,690 individuals, or 1 in 7 people, confronting food insecurity, with about 40% being children.
"We are deeply grateful to the legal organizations that have come together to raise vital funds and food to help feed children during the summer,” said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “Their collective generosity and commitment have made a significant impact, ensuring that children in our community do not go hungry when they don’t have access to school meals. This incredible support highlights the power of collaboration and the profound difference we can make when we unite for a common cause. Thank you for being so dedicated to fighting hunger and helping us provide essential nourishment to those who need it most."
The 2024 Food from the Bar campaign was led by a committee dedicated to fighting childhood hunger and consisted of:
- Amanda Cottrell with Sheppard Mullin
- David Greenstone with Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC
- Liz Kiernan with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Allison Minter with Waters Kraus & Paul & Siegel
- Alissa Puckett with Quilling, Selander, Lownds, Winslett & Moser
- Matt Stammel with Vinson & Elkins
As part of the friendly competition, the following legal organizations were recognized for their efforts in specific areas of the campaign:
- Power of Attorneys Award (Top Overall)– Vinson & Elkins
- Partner 4 Hope Award (Top Per Capita)– Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC
- Collective Force Award (Most Volunteers)– Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP
- #RaiseTheBar Award (Best Social Media Campaign) – Thompson Coburn LLP
- Can-Do Award (Most food collected)– Sidley Austin LLP
In addition to these 5 law firms, Sheppard Mullin, who co-founded the NTFB campaign in 2019, helped increase the number of participating firms to a new record this year.
The law firms and legal organizations that provided children with access to nutritious food through the Food from the Bar campaign included:
- Akin
- Cooper & Scully, PC
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dean, Omar Branham Shirley, LLP
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
- Katten
- Kershaw Anderson King, PLLC
- Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann LLP
- Quilling Selander Lownds Winslett & Moser
- Sheppard Mullin
- Sidley Austin LLP
- Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC
- Squire Patton Boggs
- Thompson Coburn LLP
- Vinson & Elkins
- Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel
In addition to raising funds for NTFB, the law firms collected more than 1,000 pounds of food and provided 227 hours of volunteer time. To learn more about how you can join the fight to end hunger with Food from the Bar, visit ntfb.org/foodfromthebar.
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About the North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked non-profit hunger-relief organization that sources, packages and distributes food through a network of about 500 Partner Agencies and organizations across 13 North Texas counties. The organization also provides food to children, seniors and families through various direct-delivery programs, including mobile pantries.
In its last fiscal year, the NTFB provided access to more than 144 million nutritious meals or nearly 400,000 meals a day, a 5% percent increase over the prior year. The North Texas Food Bank is designated a 4-Star Exceptional organization by Charity Navigator based on its governance, integrity and financial stability, and is ranked 89th on Forbes 2023 Top 100 Charities in America. NTFB is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. For more information, www.ntfb.org.
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