THOMAS J. DONOVAN, JR.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
JOSHUA R. DIAMOND
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
WILLIAM E. GRIFFIN
CHIEF ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL
STATE OF VERMONT
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
109 STATE STREET
MONTPELIER, VT 05609-1001
T
EL: (802) 828-3171
FAX: (802) 828-2154
TTY: (802) 828-3665
CIVIL RIGHTS: (802) 828-3657
August 23, 2017
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 109 STATE STREET
MONTPELIER 05609-1001
Dear Fellow Vermont Attorney:
It is our shared privilege to practice law in Vermont. As a member of the Vermont legal community, I believe it is our duty to help those in need when we can. That is why I am happy to announce that my office is collaborating with the Vermont Foodbank and the Vermont Bar Association to kick off our first-ever
“Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive” this September 15th through 30th.
A recent study by the Vermont Foodbank and Feeding America shows that one in four Vermonters turn to food shelves and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families. That’s around 153,000 of our neighbors, community members, and friends, and an estimated 33,900 children and 26,010 seniors.
Every day, Vermonters are being forced to make tough choices to keep food on the table - choosing between paying for food or paying for necessary living expenses like housing, transportation and utilities. A staggering 71% of Vermont Foodbank clients report purchasing inexpensive or unhealthy food because they could not afford more healthy food options. High blood pressure and diabetes are just some of the medical conditions that can result from the difficult food choices our neighbors are making. Many of these households have no member with health insurance of any kind and 56% of Vermont Foodbank clients reported choosing between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care at least once in the past 12 months.
I am calling on you to get involved. The Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive will run for two weeks in September, which is Hunger Action Month in Vermont. We are asking that Vermont law firms and solo practitioners sign up in advance by
returning the attached form by e-mail to:
Natalie.Silver@vermont.gov
no later than
September 10, 2017. Only one form need be returned for each participating law firm/office.
Each firm/office will be asked to designate a food drive coordinator who will be responsible for (a) creating a virtual Food Drive page for the firm/office and (b) starting a donation box in the firm/office where shelf-stable, non-perishable food items can be collected. Monetary donations can also be collected during the Food
Drive to help stock the shelves of 225 Vermont Foodbank partner food shelves and meal sites around Vermont. Shelf-stable, non-perishable food items collected can be delivered by the food drive coordinator, or another member of the firm/office, directly to the food shelf or meal site nearest you.
In the spirit of friendly competition, the Attorney General’s Office will recognize the law firms/offices who raised the highest totals of food/money during the Food Drive at the Vermont Bar Association’s Annual Meeting in October.
Competition categories and divisions (e.g. large firm/small firm; amount raised based on number of attorneys and staff) will be determined after sign-up is complete. We hope that this will bring an element of fun to what we hope will be a successful annual event. If your law firm/office would prefer to not participate in the friendly competition aspect of the Food Drive and simply keep track of food items or monetary donations, you may indicate the choice on the form and you can still be included in the total amounts contributed.
All law firms and offices that sign up to participate in the Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive will be listed in an Attorney General’s Office Press Release to announce the start of the event in mid-September. A press release reporting the overall totals raised and participating law firms and offices will follow at the completion of the event.
The Vermont Foodbank and its partners provide nourishing, healthy meals to Vermonters when and where they need it most.
I hope that your law firm or office will join my Office, the Vermont Foodbank and the Vermont Bar Association to make this first-ever
Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive a success, so that together we can help make sure that no one in our state needs to go hungry.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Donovan, Jr.
Vermont Attorney General
1st ANNUAL
LAWYERS FIGHTING HUNGER FOOD DRIVE
LAW FIRM/OFFICE SIGN UP
(only one form need be submitted per Vermont Law Firm/Office)
YES,
my Law Firm/Office would like to participate in the “
1st Annual Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive
” from September 15 through 30, 2017.
My Law Firm/Office will designate a food drive coordinator who will be responsible for: (a) creating a virtual Lawyers Fighting Hunger Food Drive page for the firm/office through the Food Drive event, where members of the Firm/Office can track food items that are gathered or make monetary donations: and (b) start a donation box in the Law Firm/Office where shelf-stable, non-perishable food items can be collected for delivery to my local food shelf or meal site before the Food Drive’s end date. The food drive coordinator will be responsible for tracking the number of food items collected, and will log in the number at my Law Firm/Office’s virtual Food Drive site.
Law Firm/Office name (as you would like it to appear in Press Releases announcing the event kick-off and completion):
Mailing Address and Law Firm/Office website:
Name of designated food drive coordinator and contact e-mail:
Approximate number of attorneys and staff at Law Firm/Office:
solo practice;
small firm (2-5 lawyers);
medium firm (6-9 lawyers); _
large firm (10+ lawyers)
Please check here if your Law Firm/Office will participate in the Food Drive but would like to
NOT
participate in the “friendly competition” for most food/money raised by division/category during the event (your firm/office will still be recognized as a participating Law Firm/Office in Press Releases).
