Athens law firm Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, P.C. (BBGA) participated again this year in the Legal Food Frenzy, a two-week food and fund drive competition held in partnership with the Georgia Attorney General, the State Bar and Young Lawyers Division, and the Georgia Food Bank Association.

BBGA raised $3,541 and donated 504 lbs. of food during this year’s competition, which is equivalent to 14,584 meals for people in the Athens community. Multiple employees also donated their time to volunteer at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Statewide, the firm ranked No. 9 in the Medium Category for total points with 19,460, and No. 22 in the Medium Category for per capita points with 216.22 points per person.

“Every year I have been a part of this firm we have increased our Legal Food Frenzy donations, sometimes by a substantial amount, and this year was no different,” said BBGA Staff Attorney Kirsten Pickering. “This competition is one that our firm looks forward to each spring, and I am so impressed with the generosity of the members and employees of this firm. It is evident they get just as much out of donating, as the food bank gets out of receiving the donations.”

Pickering organizes the Legal Food Frenzy competition each year at BBGA and this year, BBGA won total points and per capita points for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia region.

Attorney General Chris Carr released a statement to the press about the state-wide competition.

“More than 60 percent of kids in Georgia are eligible for free or reduced meals during the school year. For some of them, this is their only reliable meal, so you can imagine how their families struggle during the summer months when their kids are home without this resource,” Carr said. “I am incredibly proud of the Georgia legal community for rising to the occasion and ensuring the food banks are sufficiently stocked to meet this need."

Organizers of the event emphasize the importance of supporting local food banks with the following statistics:

One in five children in Georgia don’t know when their next meal will be

73 percent of food bank clients say they have had to choose between buying food or medication

Each $1 donated to a local food bank provides enough food for four meals

Food banks can stretch each $1 into $8 worth of groceries

Georgia lawyers have raised more than $1.5 million for the food banks, the equivalent of more than 6 million meals, since the start of the Legal Food Frenzy. This year, lawyers in Georgia raised $419,321 and 17,617 lbs. of food – the equivalent of 1.7 million meals and a 9.5 percent increase from last year.

“Each year, our legal community steps up to the plate and delivers for Georgia’s children and its families,” Carr said in the news release. “… To all who participated by donating in any amount, and in any way, thank you for breaking another donation record this year. Your contributions will help our communities thrive.”