State Bar staff donated 442 pounds of food for distribution to local food pantries.
Dec. 24, 2009 – With donations to Wisconsin food pantries at a 10-year low and demand for food up by 30 percent over last year, the State Bar’s Young Lawyers Division (YLD) is challenging the legal community to donate food to those in need during the holiday season.
State Bar staff load food pantry donations for delivery to local Feeding America collection site.
“The holiday season is not the only time of year when all of us should be thinking about giving to those in need, but responding to those needs is especially important this year because food donations are at such a staggering low,” says YLD President Nick Vivian. “The online grocery store gives us an opportunity to make a material difference in the lives of 235,000 of our neighbors in eastern Wisconsin who are expected to rely on emergency food assistance this year. I hope you will join me in supporting this worthy cause.”
All State Bar members are invited to visit the online grocery store through Jan. 15, 2010, to donate canned goods, produce, and other groceries. These “desktop donations” will benefit 1,100 food pantries, meal programs, and shelters located in 36 counties served by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Residents of other Wisconsin counties can also go to the Feeding America national site to make donations to a Feeding America food bank that serves their local communities. If this year’s initiative is successful, the YLD hopes to expand the food drive to cover all Wisconsin communities next year.
Donations are weighed before being shelved for distribution at the Feeding America Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.
The State Bar staff collected 442 pounds of food and paper items, which is the equivalent of 354 meals. The six staff members who delivered the food also helped stock shelves for a few hours. It requires more than 5,200 volunteer man hours each month to keep the food products moving on and off the shelves.
Make an electronic donation.
