Attorney General Sam Olens has announced that the Georgia legal community raised the equivalent of 1,230,260 pounds of food ($298,189 + 37,501 pounds of food, with each dollar representing four pounds of food) during the 2016 Georgia Legal Food Frenzy. This year’s total helped achieve the goal of five million pounds of food in five years. This is the fifth annual food drive in which lawyers and staff compete outside the courtroom for two weeks to raise food and funds for Georgia’s eight regional food banks. The competition took place April 18–29, 2016. Since its inception in 2012, the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy has collectively raised the equivalent of 5,008,110 pounds of food.
A total of 289 law firms and legal organizations representing more than 18,000 employees competed for the grand prize, the Attorney General’s Cup. Sole proprietor Joe Habachy of Joe S. Habachy, PC in Atlanta won the honor for the third consecutive year -- raising the equivalent of 37,450 pounds of food, the most per capita statewide.
Georgia’s five law schools held their own competition. Mercer University School of Law won the title this year. They raised the equivalent of34.25 pounds per person.

“Congratulations to the Attorney General’s Cup winner Joe Habachy, the law school winner Mercer, and all of the 2016 Georgia Legal Frenzy winners,” said Olens. “The food and funds raised through the competition will help Georgia’s food banks meet the increased demand they experience over the summer months when children are out of school. I could not be prouder of Georgia’s legal community for their generosity toward the less fortunate in our state. The true winners of this competition are the children who will receive healthy, balanced meals this summer.”

“Attorney General Olens challenged the legal community to raise more than one million pounds of food during this year's Legal Food Frenzy to reach our five year goal of five million pounds, and the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia answered that challenge with leadership and enthusiasm,” said Danah Craft, Georgia Food Bank Association executive director. “On behalf of Georgia Food Bank Association's member food banks, I want to express our gratitude to the YLD, Attorney General Olens and all the firms and law schools that participated. The food and funds raised during this competition will provide the equivalent of 1,000,000 meals over the summer months.”

The Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, a partnership between the Office of the Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyers Division and the Georgia Food Bank Association, is specifically timed to coincide with Law Day and the end of the school year to help the food banks prepare for the summer. During the summer months, the demand for food increases because children who depend on free or reduced school lunches are at home. More than 60% of Georgia’s public school students are eligible for either a free or reduced lunch each day.

Georgia’s eight regional food banks serve 156,500 unique clients in Georgia on a weekly basis. All of the food and funds collected during the Legal Food Frenzy have been donated directly to the regional food bank that serves each competitor’s community.

Olens expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the 2016 competition. “I would like to thank State Bar of Georgia president Robert Kauffman; YLD president Jack Long; YLD Legal Food Frenzy Committee chairs Katie Dod, Jonathan Poole and Katie Willett; 2016 Legal Food Frenzy co-chairs Lisa Robinson, Justin Oliverio, Justin Purvis, and Daniel Burroughs; Georgia Food Bank Association executive director Danah Craft; and the city representatives throughout the state whose hard work and dedication made this year’s Legal Food Frenzy a success. Last, but not least, I appreciate the generosity of all of the Georgia lawyers and legal staff who contributed to this important effort.”