McGuireWoods Receives ‘Smithfield Ham Award’ for Virginia Legal Food Frenzy Donations

May 8, 2013

McGuireWoods LLP has received the Smithfield Ham Award for the sixth consecutive year for collecting more donations – the equivalent of 161,413 pounds of food – than any other large law firm in Virginia during the Seventh Annual Statewide Legal Food Frenzy. This year, 183 participating law firms, legal departments, government offices and law schools across Virginia raised nearly 1.5 million pounds of food in April, collectively reaching the statewide goal of collecting more than 10 million pounds of food donations since the competition’s inception.

The statewide food drive, organized by the Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks is a competition among Virginia law firms, legal departments and law schools to raise donations for local food banks.

Derek H. Swanson, one of the statewide co-chairs of the Legal Food Frenzy and an associate in McGuireWoods’ Richmond office, will accept the award on the firm’s behalf at a special reception to be held at the Governor’s Mansion in July.

“We are grateful to the many people within Virginia’s legal community who have supported the food banks’ mission year after year,” Swanson said. “We are grateful to receive this award.”

About Legal Food Frenzy

A recent study by Feeding America found that more than 1 million Virginians are considered “food insecure.” This represents nearly a 54 percent increase since 2006. A large number of these individuals are children, senior citizens, disabled adults, and the new face of hunger—individuals who have lost their jobs, are unemployed or underemployed, and are having problems making ends meet.

In response to this urgent need, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, the Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks joined efforts in 2007 to create Legal Food Frenzy, an annual food drive and fundraiser. Visit www.legalfoodfrenzy.com for more information.