The Georgia legal community raised $400,325 and 18,809 pounds of food for the state's food banks during the seventh annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy.

The donations will amount to 1.61 million meals for the food banks to distribute to hungry families, a 21 percent increase from last year, according to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, one of the sponsors of the event.

“Our legal community has decided that we cannot sit idly by and allow any child in Georgia to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” he said. “I want to thank each and every individual who helped lead and contribute to these record-breaking efforts. You've truly made a positive impact on the lives of your neighbors.”

The State Bar of Georgia's Young Lawyer Division co-sponsored the event last month with Carr and the Georgia Food Bank Association.

“The energy and commitment of the legal community was astounding this year,” said Danah Craft, who runs the food bank association. “People don't realize that for many kids, the end of school year isn't a happy occasion. Over 60 percent of Georgia's children rely on free and reduced lunch at school, but when school is done so are those meals.”

The food bank association says Georgia food banks serve 156,500 people each week. The 1.61 million meals raised by the Legal Food Frenzy amounts to feeding 76,667 people three meals a day for a week.

A total of 235 law firms and legal organizations, representing more than 17,000 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 counted as four points, and every pound of food counted as one point with various bonus point opportunities.

Reclaiming his title after last year's hiatus, Joe S. Habachy PC, Attorney at Law of Atlanta, won the Attorney General's Cup after raising $23,260 and earning 58,337 points per person. The Bar President's award winner was Coleman Talley of Valdosta for the second year in a row, having raised $31,986 and earning 160,305 total points, the most in the competition's history.

The full list of winners includes:

• Sole Proprietor (1-2 employees): Attorney Justin Oliverio LLC, 10,825 total points and 5,413 points per person, Decatur;
• Small Firm (3-20 employees): Jenkins & Roberts, 50,190 total points and 12,548 points per person, College Park;
• Medium Firm (21-100 employees): Whelchel, Dunlap, Jarrard & Walker, 42,223 total points and 2,011 points per person, Gainesville;
• Large Firm (100+ employees): Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele, 257 points per person, Marietta;
• Large Firm: King & Spalding, 95,349 Total Points, Atlanta;
• Corporate/In-House Counsel Winner: Serta Simmons Bedding, 50,110 total points and 5,568 points per person, Atlanta;
• Legal Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Office of Legal Affairs, 61,334 total points and 4,381 points per person, Atlanta;
• Judicial: Augusta judges, 15,513 total points and 388 points per person, Augusta.
• Law school: Mercer University Law School, Macon.