North Texas Legal Community Fights Hunger through North Texas Food Bank Food from the Bar Campaign
June 27 2024 - 8:00AM
North Texas law firms and legal organizations once again united to
help the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) fight summer childhood hunger
through a friendly competition called Food from the Bar. This year,
the firms raised over $167,000 and provided access to nearly
520,000 nutritious meals for children who don’t always know where
their next meal will come from. Since its inception in 2019, the
campaign has raised nearly $678,000 for NTFB, providing access to
more than 2 million meals.
Texas now leads the nation in hunger with a food insecurity rate
of 16.4%, equating to nearly 5 million individuals facing hunger;
alarmingly, over one-third of those affected are children. The 13
counties NTFB serves have the fourth-highest number of people
facing hunger in the nation, with approximately 777,690
individuals, or 1 in 7 people, confronting food insecurity, with
about 40% being children.
"We are deeply grateful to the legal organizations that have
come together to raise vital funds and food to help feed children
during the summer,” said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of
the North Texas Food Bank. “Their collective generosity and
commitment have made a significant impact, ensuring that children
in our community do not go hungry when they don’t have access to
school meals. This incredible support highlights the power of
collaboration and the profound difference we can make when we unite
for a common cause. Thank you for being so dedicated to fighting
hunger and helping us provide essential nourishment to those who
need it most."
The 2024 Food from the Bar campaign was led by a committee
dedicated to fighting childhood hunger and consisted of:
- Amanda Cottrell with Sheppard Mullin
- David Greenstone with Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC
- Liz Kiernan with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Allison Minter with Waters Kraus & Paul & Siegel
- Alissa Puckett with Quilling, Selander, Lownds, Winslett &
Moser
- Matt Stammel with Vinson & Elkins
As part of the friendly competition, the following legal
organizations were recognized for their efforts in specific areas
of the campaign:
- Power of Attorneys Award (Top Overall)– Vinson &
Elkins
- Partner 4 Hope Award (Top Per Capita)– Simon Greenstone
Panatier, PC
- Collective Force Award (Most Volunteers)– Dean Omar Branham
Shirley, LLP
- #RaiseTheBar Award (Best Social Media Campaign) – Thompson
Coburn LLP
- Can-Do Award (Most food collected)– Sidley Austin LLP
In addition to these 5 law firms, Sheppard Mullin, who
co-founded the NTFB campaign in 2019, helped increase the number of
participating firms to a new record this year.
The law firms and legal organizations that provided children
with access to nutritious food through the Food from the Bar
campaign included:
- Akin
- Cooper & Scully, PC
- Dallas Trial Lawyers Association
- Dean, Omar Branham Shirley, LLP
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
- Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
- Katten
- Kershaw Anderson King, PLLC
- Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann LLP
- Quilling Selander Lownds Winslett & Moser
- Sheppard Mullin
- Sidley Austin LLP
- Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC
- Squire Patton Boggs
- Thompson Coburn LLP
- Vinson & Elkins
- Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel
In addition to raising funds for NTFB, the law firms collected
more than 1,000 pounds of food and provided 227 hours of volunteer
time. To learn more about how you can join the fight to end hunger
with Food from the Bar, visit ntfb.org/foodfromthebar.
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About the North Texas Food Bank
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked non-profit
hunger-relief organization that sources, packages and distributes
food through a network of about 500 Partner Agencies and
organizations across 13 North Texas counties. The organization also
provides food to children, seniors and families through various
direct-delivery programs, including mobile pantries.
In its last fiscal year, the NTFB provided access to more than
144 million nutritious meals or nearly 400,000 meals a day, a 5%
percent increase over the prior year. The North Texas Food Bank is
designated a 4-Star Exceptional organization by Charity Navigator
based on its governance, integrity and financial stability, and is
ranked 89th on Forbes 2023 Top 100 Charities in America. NTFB is a
member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief
organization. For more information, www.ntfb.org.
Jeff Smith
North Texas Food Bank
469-891-7022
jeff.smith@ntfb.org