Beshear, Partners Launch ‘Legal Food Frenzy’ Hunger-Relief Competition

Attorney General Andy Beshear announced the launch of a statewide competition that challenges Kentucky’s legal community to donate food and funds to aid Kentucky families and children suffering from hunger.

Beshear announced the Legal Food Frenzy campaign at the Capitol Rotunda as part of the Kentucky Association of Food Banks (KAFB) Rally to Solve Hunger.

The competition is a collaborative effort among the Office of the Attorney General, KAFB, Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Office of the Secretary of State.

Beshear said his office and partner organizations launched the campaign to help address the lack of access to enough food that nearly one in six adults and one in five children in Kentucky face.

“My first priority is to protect Kentucky families and children, and each day far too many are struggling to obtain enough food for a healthy, active life,” said Beshear. “The Legal Food Frenzy is an opportunity for the state’s legal community to challenge each other outside the courtroom for the noble cause of reducing hunger.”

Rebecca Schafer, chair of Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division said the goals of the campaign are to raise 600,000 pounds of food or $150,000 from March 27 to April 7, 2017.

“We are excited to partner with so many great organizations to provide the first statewide hunger relief effort by Kentucky’s legal community,” said Schafer. “The campaign, with the support of attorneys across the Commonwealth, will help bring Kentucky one step closer to ensuring that all of its citizens have access to adequate food.”

Every $1 donated through the competition will return $8 or more in food to the community. Kentucky law firms, law schools and legal organizations are encouraged to sign-up online.

Proceeds and goods generated from the competition will directly aid the members of the KAFB – an organization that distributes over 50 million meals to 1 in 7 Kentuckians annually in partnership with a network of 800 local charitable feeding organizations. Its members serve all 120 counties in Kentucky.

Tamara Sandberg, executive director of KAFB, hosted the rally and said this campaign will help food banks prepare for the increase demand for food assistance during the summer months.

“Only one in 13 school-aged children who receive free and reduced-priced lunch during the school year have access to such meals during the summer months,” said Sandberg. “We are grateful to Kentucky’s legal community for taking action against hunger and helping the food banks go into summer strong and well-stocked to meet the increased demand for food among families with school-aged children.”

The organization or firm that raises the most food and funds will win the Attorney General’s Cup, signifying their accomplishment in aiding hunger-relief in Kentucky.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Kentucky Bar Association Board of Governors and Kentucky Supreme Court Justices also attended today’s event to support the Legal Food Frenzy and rally.

The Rally to Solve Hunger also included remarks from Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles; Mark Barker, Farm Credit mid-America; Kurt Reiber, chair of the Kentucky Association of Food Banks; and Debbie Fannin with Grayson County Alliance Food Pantry.

To learn more about the Legal Food Frenzy and view a complete list of competition rules and award categories, visit http://kyfoodfrenzy.com.