Attorneys Against Hunger raises $85,000
By Tracy Carbasho
For The Lawyers Journal
March 30, 2007—The Attorneys Against Hunger program of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation continues to prove year after year why it is worthy of national acclaim.
The 2006 AAH campaign raised in excess of $85,000, topping its goal of $75,000. The money donated to the annual campaign by members of the Allegheny County Bar Association supports local hunger service agencies.
“Surpassing our goal clearly illustrates that ACBA members recognize the impact the program has on the community,” said Mark Edwards, director of administration and development for the ACBF. “We are very pleased with the amount of money that was raised and the number of attorneys who participated in outreach events at the hunger service agencies.”
Campaign Co-Chairs Bryan Neft and Mary McGinley said planning for the 2007 campaign will begin in late spring or early summer.
“I am so proud of the generosity of our bar association members. They gladly give their time and money to help others,” said Neft. “I wish the community at-large had a better understanding of this.”
Total contributions to the program, since it was created in 1993, broke the $500,000 mark during the 2005 campaign.
Neft said he would like to attract additional grant sources for the next campaign. AAH gets a significant boost each year with a challenge grant issued by Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, the Rita M. McGinley Foundation, and the McGinley family members of the ACBA.
The challenge grant for the most recent campaign called for the ACBA to raise $47,500, and since the goal was met, $15,000 was contributed to the effort.
McGinley said the hunger agencies always express great appreciation for the assistance. Providing support for hunger service agencies is extremely important in Allegheny County, where more than 28,500 households, many including children, rely on hunger service agencies each month for their basic food needs.
“We would like to thank all those who contributed to this year’s campaign,” said McGinley. “The donations of time and money certainly touched those who are most in need. The campaign will continue to be a grassroots effort that focuses on the hunger needs of our community.”
Campaign proceeds, which were distributed in March, were given to the Kosher Super Pantry, Rainbow Kitchen, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Hunger Services Urban League of Pittsburgh, Just Harvest, the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, Jubilee Kitchen, and the Downtown Ministerium Walk-In Ministry, which is a consortium of five churches, including St. Mary of Mercy, Trinity Cathedral, First Presbyterian, Smithfield United, and First Lutheran.
Edwards said the success of the campaign is attributed to the hard work of Ken Steinberg and Amy Greer, who started the program 14 years ago, the continuing work of Neft and McGinley, the benevolence of the ACBA members, the work of the ACBF staff, LexisNexis for underwriting the campaign, individuals who volunteer their time, the McGinley family, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, the Young Lawyers Division of the ACBA for holding an annual skate-a-thon to raise money; and all of the ACBA sections and divisions that play an active role. This year, the campaign also received support from the Women in the Law Division, which assisted by participating at the outreach events and donating money.
Outreach events, which give volunteers a chance to help package or distribute food, were held at the Hunger Services Urban League, the Rainbow Kitchen, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and the Kosher Super Pantry.
The longstanding success of the program has been recognized on a nationwide basis. In fact, the ACBF received the Award for Bar Foundation Excellence in Public Service Programming from the National Conference of Bar Foundations in Aug. 2006.
The NCBF award was presented to Edwards and ACBA Executive Director David A. Blaner during a ceremony in Hawaii. The award is given annually to a foundation that demonstrates excellence and impact in either its programs or grant-making awards to the community. The accomplishments of the program must be recognized as being successful and established for a sufficient length of time in order to be recognized for use as a prototype.
Edwards said the ongoing support provided by members of the ACBA was instrumental in helping the program earn national recognition.
“We want to keep the momentum going every year so we can continue the tradition of giving that was started in 1993,” said Edwards.