AG Coakley's food drive competition raises more than 430,000 pounds of food; Hampshire County Bar Association wins
AG COAKLEY’S FOOD DRIVE COMPETITION RAISES MORE THAN 430,000 POUNDS OF FOOD; HAMPSHIRE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION WINS
Highest Total in Three Years of Competition; More Than One Million Pounds of Food,
801,000 Meals Provided to Date
BOSTON– Following the two week campaign for donations, the Hampshire County Bar Association has been named the winner of the third annual Legal Food Frenzy Cup, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced today. In total, the annual competition raised the equivalent of 430,000 pounds of food, breaking last year’s record, which will provide more than 331,000 meals to people in need.
The two person team representing the Hampshire County Bar Association collected the equivalent of 7,022 pounds of food overall. The Hampshire County Bar Association wrested the trophy from the previous winner of 2010 and 2011, law firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
In just a two week period, the Massachusetts legal community raised the equivalent of more than 430,000 pounds of food, a 34% increase from 2011. The AG’s Legal Food Frenzy is a benevolent competition to raise food and funds to benefit the four Massachusetts food banks.
“Congratulations to the Hampshire County Bar Association for winning the Legal Food Frenzy Cup and thank you to all the other participants for joining us in this friendly competition,” AG Coakley said. “This is a difficult time of year for donations and through the generosity and dedication of the legal community; this competition will provide meals throughout the Commonwealth and help families put food on the table.”
More than 70 legal organizations from eight counties across the state signed up to participate in this event. The participants collected food items and donations from April 2 to April 13, 2012—a traditionally slow time for donations. The first annual Legal Food Frenzy was piloted in the Greater Boston area and has since expanded to benefit all four Massachusetts Food Banks—The Greater Boston Food Bank, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Worcester County Food Bank, and The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. These four Food Banks serve more than 800 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters that help feed hungry families across the Commonwealth. Over the past three years, the competition has raised more than one million pounds of food (which includes its equivalent in monetary donations) and provided more than 801,000 meals throughout Massachusetts.
Several other legal organizations achieved awards in a number of other categories:
Most Raised Overall:
· Cooley LLP for ‘Most Raised Overall and Most Raised by a Medium Firm’
· Ropes & Gray LLP for ‘Most Raised Overall by a Large Firm’
· Crowleyand Cummings for ‘Most Raised Overall by a Small Firm’
Most Raised Per Capita:
· McDermott Will & Emery LLP for ‘Most Raised Per Capita by a Large Firm’
· Cooley LLP for ‘Most Raised Per Capita by a Medium Firm’
· Crowleyand Cummings for ‘Most Raised Per Capita by a Small Firm’
Most Food Collected:
· Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP for ‘Most Actual Food Collected’ and ‘Most Actual Food Collected by a Medium Firm
· Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP for ‘Most Actual Food Collected by a Large Firm’
· Sugarman & Sugarman, P.C. for ‘Most Actual Food Collected by a Small Firm’
LawSchoolDivision:
· New EnglandSchool of Law for ‘Most Actual Food Collected by a Law School’ and Most Raised Overall by a Law School‘
· UMASS Law Dartmouth for ‘Most Raised Per Capita by a Law School’
Bar Association Division:
· Hampden County Bar Association for ‘Most Raised Overall by a Bar Association’
· Hampshire County Bar Association for ‘Most Raised Per Capita by a Bar Association’
· FranklinCounty Bar Association for ‘Most Actual Food Collected by a Bar Association’
District Attorney’s Division:
· Hampden District Attorney's Office for ‘Most Raised Overall by a District Attorney’s Office’
· Essex County District Attorney's Office for ‘Most Raised Per Capita by a District Attorney’s Office’
· Northwestern District Attorney's Office for ‘Most Actual Food Collected by a District Attorney’s Office’
Other Awards in the Western Mass Division:
· Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP for most raised overall and most raised by a Large Firm in Western Mass
· Robinson Donovan, P.C. for most raised by a Medium Firm in Western Mass
· Thomas Libbos, P.C. for most raised by a Small Firm in Western Mass
All food and funds collected will go to the four Massachusetts Food Banks to benefit hungry families across the state. Many bar associations from across the Commonwealth have partnered with the Attorney General’s Office to sponsor the Legal Food Frenzy including the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Boston Bar Association, Hampden County Bar Association, Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys, Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, Franklin County Bar Association, Plymouth County Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association.For more information, please visit the Attorney General’s Legal Food Frenzy site.