During the month of May, the LMA Capital Chapter is joined the Washington legal community’s annual fundraising campaign, Food from the Bar, in partnership with over 45 local law firms, law schools, and other legal professionals.
The Chapter collected canned food and donations at our monthly programs and events, to help bring nutritious meals to kids, families, and seniors at risk of hunger in the Washington metro area. In addition, members of the Capital Chapter Board participated in a volunteer night at the Capital Area Food Bank, during which they helped relabel and pack several tons of frozen food that will be distributed to hundreds of food pantries, afterschool meal programs, and soup kitchens throughout the greater D.C. region.
The month-long campaign raised $260,000 to help the Capital Area Food Bank reach those at risk of hunger in the Washington metro area. Thanks to the success of this year’s campaign, CAFB can provide the equivalent of 650,000 meals to the greater D.C. community in the summer months, a time when funds coming into the organization are low and needs of families that usually depend on school lunch programs is high.
Child hunger is a critical problem nationwide. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, nearly 17 million children in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access the nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. Washington, D.C. has the second highest child food insecurity rate of any other state in the nation, with 30 percent of children under the age of 18 living in food insecure households – meaning they have limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate foods.
Special thanks to Hill Frog Catering for their generous donation of 65 pounds of food!
To learn more, visit: www.capitalareafoodbank.org.
By Emily Flowers, Manager of Content Marketing and Communications for McDermott Will & Emery, for the May/June 2015 issue of the Capital Ideas Newsletter.