Press release from the Office of the Indiana Attorney General

(Cincinnati, Oh.) -  Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller visited the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati today to kick off the third annual March Against Hunger food drive competition. For the third consecutive year, Zoeller is partnering with the Indiana State Bar Association and Feeding Indiana's Hungry (FIsH) to call on law firms and lawyers to raise money and food donations benefiting 11 regional food banks. The Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati serves a 20 county area in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio including Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio and Switzerland counties in the Hoosier state. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine joined Zoeller today in encouraging lawyers in the Cincinnati area to join the campaign.

“While there are some hopeful signs of an economic recovery on the horizon, for many the harsh realities of unemployment and financial difficulties continue to leave them desperate to buy the basic food essentials to feed their families,” Zoeller said.  “I appreciate Attorney General DeWine joining me in the call to members of our profession to step up and do what attorneys do best – serve the interests of others.”

“The March Against Hunger has been highly successful in collecting food and raising awareness about the hunger problem here at home. The legal community has risen to this call of service. Hunger knows no borders, and I encourage all attorneys in the tri-state area to help in the fight to end hunger,” DeWine said.

The competition among law offices to collect donations starts March 14 and ends March 31. Firms may make monetary contributions or donations of nonperishable food items. Every dollar raised will be counted as five pounds of food. In 2009, 45 participating law offices across Indiana generated the equivalent of more than 77 tons of food. In 2010, 31 offices participated in the competition raising more than 50 tons of food. Checks can be made payable to the Freestore Foodbank. Food donations can be delivered to either the Freestore Foodbank located at 112 E. Liberty in Cincinnati or the North Dearborn Pantry located in West Harrison, Ind. located at 2517 North Dearborn Road.

"We are very thankful for the continued support and generosity of Attorney General Zoeller and the legal community. Their help enables our food banks to distribute additional food around the state," said Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of FIsH. "Last year our food banks distributed nearly 60 million pounds of food, but the need has not diminished. Every little bit helps."

FIsH is a public-private partnership linking hunger service providers, food producers, and processors to more effectively identify and deliver services to the 11 regional food banks serving Hoosiers as well as residents of Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio. In a study conducted last year by FIsH, it was determined that more than 694,500 people, including 295,857 children, receive emergency food assistance each year through the 11 regional food banks. On a weekly basis, an estimated 117,900 Hoosiers receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen or other agency, the study found.

Firms will compete in four divisions for the Attorney General’s cup: large law firms of 50 attorneys or more, medium-sized firms of 10 to 49 attorneys, small and sole practitioners of one to nine attorneys, and public and nonprofit attorneys. The largest-donating law office in each division will receive a trophy. 

The 11 regional food banks that serve parts of Indiana and are members of FIsH are:

Muncie: Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana – serving Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Henry, Jay,
Madison, Randolph and Wabash counties

Bloomington: Hoosier Hills Food Bank – serving Brown, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Owen counties

Evansville: Tri-State Food Bank – serving Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties

Fort Wayne: Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana – serving Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley counties

Gary: Food Bank of Northwest Indiana – serving Lake and Porter Counties

Indianapolis: Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc.  – serving Bartholomew, Boone, Decatur, Fayette, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Marion, Morgan, Putnam, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Union and Wayne counties

Lafayette: Food Finders Food Bank – serving Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Miami, Montgomery, Newton, Pulaski, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Warren and White counties

South Bend: Food Bank of Northern Indiana – serving Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph counties

Terre Haute: Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank – serving Clay, Greene, Knox, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties

Fairfield, Ohio: Shared Harvest Foodbank – serving the Indiana county of Franklin

Cincinnati, Ohio: Free Store Food Bank, Inc. –serving Indiana counties Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio and Switzerland

Louisville, Ky. Dare to Care Food Bank – serving Indiana counties Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison and Washington

To sign up to participate in this year's statewide competition, click here to visit the Attorney General’s March Against Hunger webpage. Firms may sign up any time before the competition begins or during the collection period of March 14-31. For more information, please contact Michelle Mayer, Director of Outreach Services for the Indiana Office of the Attorney General at michelle.mayer@atg.in.gov or 317-234-6668.

Hoosiers not employed by a law firm who want to donate can contribute nonperishable foods at a participating firm or by visiting the FIsH Web site at http://www.feedingindianashungry.org/. Donation totals and competition winners will be announced after the March Against Hunger food drive concludes March 31. A list of participating firms will be posted at http://www.atg.in.gov/.