VALDOSTA – A South Georgia law firm has again raised a record-breaking amount of food to help others.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Valdosta-based law firm Coleman Talley LLP won the grand prize in the 2019 Georgia Legal Food Frenzy Competition, a statewide effort among legal organizations to raise money for Georgia’s food banks. 

Coleman Talley received the Bar President’s Award for the third year in a row, having raised $34,250, the equivalent of 172,125 points, for Second Harvest of South Georgia, according to AG officials. 

“This is the largest point total in the competition’s history,” they said. “The firm has been recognized as a winner each year since the competition began in 2012.”  

Georgia’s legal community as a whole raised a record-breaking $419,321 and 17,617 pounds of food during the eighth annual event, sponsored by the Georgia Food Bank Association, the Young Lawyers Division and the Attorney General’s office. 

The two-week event raised the equivalent of 1.7 million meals for Georgia’s food banks, an increase of 9.5 percent from last year.  

A total of 193 law firms and legal organizations, representing more than 13,000 members of the legal community, competed for the two grand prizes: the Attorney General’s Cup, awarded to the team with the most points per person, and the Bar President’s Award, given to the team with the most overall points. 

Every dollar raised is four points and every pound of food is one point with various bonus point opportunities, AG officials said.

“When the Georgia Attorney General announced several years ago that he was beginning the Legal Food Frenzy, it was the perfect opportunity for the firm to marry its legal passions with its charitable ones,” said Bill Holland, Coleman Talley partner, who has been a Second Harvest of South Georgia board member for more than 20 years. 

“The attorneys and staff of Coleman Talley have personally contributed to the Food Frenzy each year,” he said. “In addition, we call upon our friends, clients and business associates to participate. We are so pleased with the support from all involved to assist the valiant work of the food banks throughout Georgia.”

“We are so proud of our friends at Coleman Talley and glad to see their commitment to our community recognized. We are grateful for their partnership in the fight against child hunger in South Georgia,” said Eliza McCall, chief marketing officer at Second Harvest of South Georgia.