March Against Hunger Food Drive March 15-31

VIDEO CLIP: March Against Hunger Press Conference

PRESS RELEASE - March 10, 2010
From Office of the Indiana Attorney General

Ready, set, collect! It’s time for the second annual March Against Hunger sponsored by the Office of the Indiana Attorney General and the State Bar in association with Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIsH).

The March Against Hunger is a competition between law firms to raise the most donations – either of nonperishable foods or direct monetary contributions – for Indiana’s 10 regional food banks.

“This is an opportunity for attorneys to utilize their competitive instincts for a worthy cause,” Attorney General Greg Zoeller said. “It raises awareness of the hardships many in our state still face because of the national recession.”

In the inaugural year of the march, 45 law firms from around the state – along with 10 satellite offices – generated the equivalent of 76 tons of food.

“The emergency programs receiving food from the food banks of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry helped 694,500 Hoosiers last year, but the demand is still outpacing the increase in support we have received,” said Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of FIsH. “Food banks are the single largest source of food to most emergency food programs around the state, making food donations critical to the help that we are able to provide.”

“I am extremely proud of the members of the legal profession who opened their hearts and their checkbooks last year to help our fellow Hoosiers in need,” Zoeller said. “Given the continued economic downturn, I am hopeful even more will step up to the plate this year to help regional food banks feed hungry Hoosiers.”

Zoeller presented the Attorney General’s Cup to the biggest donating firms in three categories. Barnes & Thornburg was the winner of the large firm division; Evansville-based Ziemer, Stayman, Weitzel & Shoulders placed first in the small firm division; and attorney Philip H. Siegel, also of Evansville, won in the sole practitioner division.

This year’s March Against Hunger is set for March 15-31. Categories will be large firm (25+ lawyers), small firm and solo practitioner (1-24 lawyers) and public/ nonprofit. The AG’s Cup will once again be presented to the firm collecting the most donations in each division.

Go to http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral to sign up to participate in this statewide competition between law firms in Indiana to raise much-needed resources for regional food banks. Firms can sign up anytime during the collection period.