LOS ANGELES — JULY 02 2019 — The Los Angeles legal community raised more than $500,000 for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank during this year’s Food From The Bar Campaign. The Food Bank will be able to provide more than 2 million meals for those who are facing food insecurity throughout Los Angeles County.

Food From The Bar has raised more than $4.5 million since it began in Los Angeles in 2009. The effort is timed to replenish Food Bank resources during the summer months– a particularly difficult time for parents with children who rely on school meals and who lose access to those meals when school is not in session.

“We are extremely grateful for all of the individuals, firms and organizations who participated in this year’s campaign,” said Michael Flood, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. “The Los Angeles legal community is leading the fight against hunger in our community, giving those who need help a better brighter future.”

During the month-long Food From The Bar fundraising and volunteering effort, 71 legal organizations, including legal firms, law schools and legal services organizations, participated in a friendly competition to see who could raise the most funds, acquire the most food, and work the most volunteer hours for the Food Bank. In addition to funds raised, more than 6,000 pounds of food were collected and 771 volunteer shifts were completed.

This year’s Overall Winner was Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP, which was instrumental in bringing the Food From The Bar Campaign to Los Angeles eleven years ago.

“On a personal level, I am grateful for the opportunity that Food from The Bar provides for us – the LA legal community – to help fill the most basic of needs:  healthy food,” said Kathleen M. McDowell, a partner at Munger Tolles, a longtime champion of the campaign as well as the winner of this year’s Chair of the Campaign Award. “I am thrilled that the 2019 Food from the Bar campaign raised a record amount of money this year that will help alleviate hunger in our community. No child should have to go hungry.  Period.”

One in five residents of Los Angeles County, 2 million people, lives with food insecurity and has limited access to adequate food, disrupted eating patterns, and reduced food intake. The Food Bank, through direct distribution and its agency partners, serves the largest county in terms of population in the country, distributing more than 1 million pounds of food every week.

About Food From The Bar:  

Launched in 2009, the Food From The Bar campaign is an annual, four-week effort led by members of the legal community, focused on providing nutritious meals for children in Los Angeles County. Legal teams compete to see who can raise the most donations and clock the most volunteer hours. For more information, visit LAFoodBank.org/foodfromthebar.

*Post edited on July 15, 2019