Food From the Bar Supports Capital Area Food Bank

The nation’s largest legal community is once again stepping up to tackle hunger in the Greater Washington D.C. Region. Dozens of firms in the region are leading the charge in raising food, funds and contributing to the cutting edge discussion on hunger through the Food From the Bar campaign. “This is an issue that affects health, education and employment. We felt that as a community, we could make a difference,” says Mark Ruge, K&L Gates partner and Co-chair of the 2015 Food From the Bar campaign. The Food From the Bar campaign, formerly DC Outlaw Hunger, will run from May 1 to May 29 and is entering its seventh year, with dozens of local law firms, law schools and other legal professionals competing to raise food and funds for the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). The legal community has set this year’s goal at $200,000 – the equivalent of 500,000 meals – to help the food bank feed more than half a million children, families and seniors at risk of hunger in the Washington metro area. This year’s executive committee includes the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia, K&L Gates, DLA Piper, National Law Journal, Legal Times, Georgetown University Law Center, Thompson Coburn, Advanced Discovery and Nahigian Strategies. Throughout the campaign, the CAFB will host three Volunteer Bonus Days, as well as a law school service day, and will encourage local firms and law schools to contribute food, funds and time to support hunger relief in the Washington metro area. Since 2008, the Washington legal community has raised the equivalent of 1.5 million meals. With every $10 raised, the food bank can distribute 25 meals to neighbors in need. Ninety-two cents out of every dollar donated to the CAFB supports local hunger relief programs. “This is a very exciting time in the hunger space. There is new recognition that hunger is a leading cause of diabetes and heart disease. Solving hunger is the first step to addressing a raft of other challenges en route to the strong community and society we want,” says Nancy Roman, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. “Teaming up with the legal community to fight hunger will amplify our efforts to positively impact the health and wellness of those we serve, especially during the summer when children don’t have access to school meals.” 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, DC has the sixth highest child hunger rate of any other state in the nation, with nearly 30% of children under the age of 18 at risk of hunger.