Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that law firms and legal organizations across Georgia raised a record-breaking 852,090 dollars during the 9th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy. This is the equivalent of over 3,331,062 meals for Georgia’s food banks, and a staggering two-fold increase in donations from last year’s competition. This year, for the first time since the competition began in 2012, the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy fundraiser went all-virtual in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“In light of the worldwide pandemic, we knew that the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy was going to be more important this year than ever before,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “At the beginning of quarantine, food banks were seeing anywhere from 30 – 40 percent increases in demand and many of their events were running out of food with families still in line. We challenged the state’s legal community to step up and help those in need, and they truly went above and beyond. I am so thankful to be a part of this world-class group of professionals in Georgia, and I am thankful for each and every person who helped us generate over 3.3 million meals for families in need.”

Georgia’s food banks have been responding to a large increase in demand since unemployment rates have soared due to the pandemic and more Georgians have found themselves struggling to keep food on the table.

A total of 222 law firms and legal organizations, representing more than 17,138 members of the legal community, competed for the two grand prizes: the Attorney General’s Cup awarded to the team with the most points per person and the Bar President’s Award given to the team with the most overall points. Every 1 dollar raised earned teams 4 points in the competition with various bonus point opportunities.

“Raising more than $852,000, the equivalent of 3.3 million meals, is amazing, heart-warming and demonstrates the good we can do when we come together for a cause as important as food insecurity," said State Bar of Georgia President Darrell Sutton. "I am so proud of Georgia's lawyers and our legal community. At a time when our food banks are at their most desperate, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, it's astounding that we've come together and more than doubled the donations from last year’s Food Frenzy. Attorney General Carr should be commended for championing this competition. Because of the unique partnership between him, the Georgia Food Bank Association and the State Bar of Georgia, fewer Georgians will go hungry, getting us one step closer to ending food insecurity."

Habachy Law, of Atlanta, won the Attorney General’s Cup for the third consecutive year, earning 86,682 points per person. The Bar President’s award winner was Greenberg Traurig of Atlanta, earning 212,914 total points, the most in the competition’s history. A full list of the competition winners and regional highlights can be found below. 

"Georgia's food banks are humbled by the outpouring of support we've seen from the legal community this year," said Executive Director of the Georgia Food Bank Association Danah Craft. "Our food banks have been responding to a sustained 30-40% increase in demand since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. Georgia's lawyers and legal professionals were ready to help, and because of their support, we will be able to feed more families than ever before. The 3.3 million meals that were raised by the Legal Food Frenzy will go an incredibly long way in supporting our neighbors during this time of increased need. My deepest appreciation goes to the Attorney General’s Office, the State Bar, the YLD, and every single person who stepped up to combat hunger with us this year."

Since its inception in 2012, the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy has raised the equivalent of 12.2 million meals for Georgia’s food banks.

The annual competition is open to all lawyers in the state of Georgia with special awards categories for solo, small, medium and large-sized firms as well as corporate/in-house counsel, judges and legal organizations. All of the funds collected are donated to the regional food bank that serves each competitor’s respective community.

The Legal Food Frenzy is spearheaded by a team of young lawyers who oversee the promotion of the competition across the state. The 2020 efforts were led by YLD Legal Food Frenzy Co-Chairs Morgan Lyndall and Veronica Rogusky, as well as regional representatives listed at galegalfoodfrenzy.org/leadership.

A complete list of the 2020 Legal Food Frenzy Winners can be found on the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy Website.