KCBA Lawyers Create frenzy to Feed Hungry Children
By Michele L. Earl-Hubbard
Members of the legal profession often get a bad rap. But did you know that members of the legal profession in King County are behind the largest annual fundraiser for food banks in Western Washington? Every July - when school lunch programs end for the summer and hungry families rely more on food banks to feed their children - the legal professionals in our county come together with accountants and compete against each other to raise money and collect food to keep the food banks stocked.
Food Frenzy, an event founded by King County lawyers more than a decade ago, runs for two weeks every July to collect food and funds for Food Lifeline, the largest non-profit food distribution organization in Washington. Through its network of 250 food banks, meal programs and shelters, Food Lifeline serves more than 550,000 hungry people each year - more than 220,000 of them are children.
This year's Food Frenzy began with a kick-off lunch at The Palace Ballroom featuring a keynote presentation by former Governor - now Davis Wright Tremaine partner - Gary Locke. By the end of the Frenzy, through creative office antics and fundraising activities, participants from 65 organizations raised more than $170,000 and $1.5 million worth of food - enough money and food to provide 860,000 meals for hungry children and families in Western Washington.
Participating organizations went all out for hungry children - from online auctions, bake sales, garage sales, book and used media sales and office game shows, to an American IdolĂstyle karaoke competition. The KCBA endorsed Food Frenzy and sponsored a "Bowlathon," collecting enough money and food to take third prize in the per capita awards this year.
"Food Lifeline is especially grateful to the 65 organizations who participated in Food Frenzy this year, as the need at neighborhood food banks continues to rise," said Linda Nageotte, Food Lifeline president and CEO. "It is because of their incredible dedication, energy and commitment that this event was so successful this year. It makes a real difference to those in need."
This year, 46 law firms, 12 accounting firms, two courts and five other public sector legal organizations participated. Eighteen organizations were recognized for 100 percent employee participation. The winners of the competition and all our legal profession participants are listed below, but the real winners are our hungry neighbors. Thanks to the generosity, enthusiasm and creative fundraising efforts of each Food Frenzy participant, children will not go hungry and parents will not worry about the next meal for their families.
I hope we can count on all of you - and our other KCBA colleagues - to join the Food Frenzy again next year. The kids are counting on us. n
Michele L. Earl-Hubbard is a partner with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Seattle and a member of the KCBA Food Frenzy Committee.
Legal Profession Participating Organizations:
Law Firms: Aoki Sakamoto Grant LLP
Ater Wynne LLP
Bennett, Bigelow & Leedom, PS
Bergman & Frockt
Camden Hall PLLC
Carney Badley Spellman P.S.
Cole, Lether, Wathen & Leid P.C.
Danielson Harrigan Leyh & Tollefson LLP
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Eims & Flynn P.S.
Forsberg & Umlauf, P.S.
Gardner Bond Trabolsi, St. Louis & Clement
Gordon Murray Tilden LLP
Groff, Murphy, Trachtenberg, Everard, PLLC
Heller Ehrman LLP
Holman Cahill Garrett Ives & Oliver, PLLC
Jensen & Puntigam, P.S.
Karr Tuttle Campbell
Keller Rohrback, LLP
Lane Powell PC
Law Offices of Michael A. Goldfarb
Le Gros Buchanan & Paul
Marten Law Group, PLLC
Miller Nash LLP
Montgomery Purdue Blankinship & Austin, PLLC
The Nathanson Group, PLLC
Ogden Murphy Wallace, PLLC
Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker, LLP
Perkins Coie, LLP
Preston Gates & Ellis LLP
Reed McClure, Attorneys at Law
Riddell Williams, P.S.
Ryan Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC
Seed Intellectual Property Law Group, PLLC
Skellenger Bender
Speckman Law Group PLLC
Stafford Frey Cooper
Stanislaw Ashbaugh, LLP
Stein, Lotzkar & Starr, P.S.
Stoel Rives, LLP
Stokes Lawrence P.S.
Summit Law Group, PLLC
Thompson & Delay
Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara
Williams Kastner & Gibbs
Public Sector Legal: Bellevue City Attorney's Office
King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
United States Attorney's Office
Federal Public Defender
Lake Forest Park Municipal Court
Seattle Municipal Court
King County Bar Association
Public Sector Legal Organizations 1st Place: King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office
2nd Place: Bellevue City Attorney's Office
3rd Place: Federal Public Defender
Per Capita Awards
Law Firms 1st Place: The Nathanson Group, PLLC
2nd Place: Danielson Harrigan Leyh & Tollefson LLP
3rd Place: Aoki Sakamoto Grant LLP
Public Sector Legal Organizations 1st Place: Bellevue City Attorney's Office
2nd Place: Lake Forest Park Municipal Court
3rd Place: King County Bar Association
100% Employee Participation - Legal
Law Firms: Aoki Sakamoto Grant LLP
Danielson Harrigan Leyh & Tollefson LLP
Eims & Flynn
Heller Ehrman LLP
Groff, Murphy, Trachtenberg, Everard, PLLC
Marten Law Group, PLLC
The Nathanson Group, PLLC
Oles Morrison Rinker Baker, LLP
Skellenger Bender
Stafford Frey Cooper
Stanislaw Ashbaugh, LLP
Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara
Public Sector Legal Organizations: Lake Forest Park Municipal Court
