ACBF kicks off latest Attorneys Against Hunger campaign
By Tracy Carbasho
For The Lawyers Journal
Nov. 11, 2005—ACBA members can satisfy their appetite for helping the county’s neediest residents by donating money or volunteering time to the annual Allegheny County Bar Foundation’s Attorneys Against Hunger campaign.
“Members of the bar association have rallied behind this campaign, and every year we have been able to donate more funds to more agencies that critically need them. Every dollar we raise goes directly to the agencies we help since LexisNexis generously underwrites all of our administrative expenses,” said Bryan Neft, who has chaired the campaign since 2001. “Volunteering time is a great way to learn about how the agencies we fund operate and are able to use the funds that we donate.”
Neft, a senior attorney at Pietragallo Bosick & Gordon, said this year’s goal of $78,000 puts the campaign within range to exceed $500,000 in total contributions since the grassroots initiative was started in 1993. The 2004 campaign raised $75,972.
A challenge calling for the ACBA to raise $45,000 in support of Attorneys Against Hunger has been issued by Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, the Rita M. McGinley Foundation, and the McGinley family members of the ACBA. If the goal is met, the ACBF will receive a $15,000 grant.
Mary McGinley, an associate at Meyer Unkovic & Scott, said her family recognizes that lawyers in the Pittsburgh region constitute a generous group of individuals who have an appreciation for the less fortunate.
“We also recognize that lawyers generally have time constraints that may prevent them from researching and identifying needs and worthy causes,” she said. “The Attorneys Against Hunger campaign provides a means for attorneys to give both through volunteering time and donating money. The McGinley family involvement is aimed at increasing attorneys’ awareness of this accessible giving outlet and encouraging them to give.”
McGinley said the challenge grant provides additional motivation for past donors to increase their giving levels and for those who have not donated in the past to open their checkbooks and their hearts.
“Each year, the challenge amount has increased, and each year members of the bar have met the challenge,” she said. “Hunger is a serious problem in Allegheny County, and the need goes well beyond what we see.”
Neft and McGinley will meet with representatives from the ACBA sections to seek their support and will also coordinate volunteer events from November through February.
“While I want to encourage bar association members to give to the fullest potential, our campaign has always been at the grassroots level, urging members to give without a lot of frills other campaigns have, such as annual dinners,” said Neft. “We provide opportunities to volunteer at the agencies we fund for two purposes.”
“First, the ACBA membership has always had a strong desire to volunteer in the community, whether it be for the Young Lawyers Division Homeless Children’s Christmas party or pro bono legal representation, and these are good opportunities to make sure that those without sufficient food resources get them. Secondly, I can’t think of a better way to have our membership learn exactly how the dollars we raise help those who suffer from hunger insecurity.”
Kathryn “Katie” Blum, coordinator of special projects for the ACBA, said proceeds from this year’s campaign will be distributed to the Downtown Ministerium Walk-In Ministry, which is a consortium of five downtown churches, including St. Mary of Mercy, Trinity Cathedral, First Presbyterian, Smithfield United, and First Lutheran, as well as the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Hunger Services Urban League of Pittsburgh, Jubilee Kitchen, Just Harvest, Kosher Super Pantry, and the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force.
The campaign is launched every year in early November, and a mass mailing is conducted to solicit donations from the full membership of the ACBA. The drive will end in March, and distributions to the local food service agencies will begin shortly afterward.
“Statistics from the Pittsburgh Food Bank show that donations are down 30 percent from the same time last year,” said Mark Edwards, director of administration and development for the ACBF. “Therefore, participation by ACBA members and sections is essential to providing assistance to the tens of thousands of local people served by these hunger services.”
Edwards said four outreach events at the hunger agencies will enable association members to gain hands-on experience in helping the campaign. Events will be held at the Jubilee Kitchen on Nov. 19; Kosher Super Pantry, Dec. 11; Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Jan. 28; and Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, Feb. 18.
Tax-deductible campaign contributions can be made on the ACBF’s secure website at www.acbf.org or by sending checks payable to Attorneys Against Hunger, in care of the ACBF, 400 Koppers Building, 436 Seventh Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219.