The 11^th annual Food From The Bar campaign is more than halfway through! 65 teams, all representing different parts of Los Angeles’ vast legal community, are competing to see who can raise the most money, collect the most food and complete the most volunteer hours in an effort to raise valuable funds and awareness to fight hunger for children in our community.

Food From The Bar Los Angeles has raised more than $4 million to date and, so far this year, the campaign is on pace to exceed this year’s goal to raise $500,000.

The Munger Games

The campaign kicked off with the 3^rd annual Munger Games, a competitive trivia night hosted by Munger, Tolles & Olsen. 15 teams participated in this year’s games. The victorious was a team called “What Is Shepardy?” from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP.

“McKool and Unusual Punishment” from McKool Smith Hennigan, P.C. put up a good fight, helping us set the tone for this year’s Food From The Bar Campaign.

The event raised $3,382 for the Food Bank, which will provide more than 1,200 meals.

Family and Friends

It’s never too early to start giving back to the community, and volunteering is more fun when the whole family can join in! Family and Friends Days are some of the best parts of the campaign. They are volunteer days designed to allow children ages five and older to get involved in hunger relief by sorting and gleaning food for our neighbors in need.

The first and second Family and Friends Days were both a big success!  On May 4 there were 165 volunteers in attendance, which represented 15 teams. These hunger heroes helped us sort more than 58,000 pounds of food. The second Family and Friends Day, held on May 18, was even bigger than the first! More than 275 volunteers from 23 teams came together and sorted more than 77,000 pounds of food.

Due to popular demand, we have added a third Family and Friends Day on June 1.

Summer Hunger

The campaign is strategically timed to help the Food Bank replenish resources in anticipation of increased need during the summer months because hunger doesn’t take a vacation. While the holidays are a great time to support people in need, most people don’t realize that summer is the hardest time of the year for many families with children who rely on school meals. Food From The Bar energizes the community and raises valuable funds and awareness just in time to meet the needs of families whose children lose access to school meals while on summer break.