Organizers of the Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, which starts Monday, can boil the reasons to support the food banks across the state down to a handful of numbers:

• 1 in 5 Georgia children does not know when their next meal is coming;
• 73 percent of food bank clients say they have had to choose between buying food or medicine;
• Each $1 donated to a local food bank provides enough food for four meals; and
• Food banks can stretch each $1 into $8 worth of groceries.

The event is timed to restock food bank shelves for the summer school vacation, when parents of the 60 percent of Georgia children who rely free and reduced-cost meals at school have to look elsewhere for help.

State Attorney General Chris Carr, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and the Georgia Food Banks Association sponsor the two-week Legal Food Frenzy in which teams from law firms and other legal organizations compete in a host of categories to raise the most food.

Carr has asked lawyers to consider donating the cost of one billable hour—estimated to be $250—to the cause.

“We know everyone won't be able to give $250,” Carr said last month, but he hoped the goal would encourage lawyers to consider their donations in terms of what they can earn with one hour of work.

Last year's overall winner, Joe Habachy P.C., raised $23,260—which Georgia food banks can stretch into about 93,000 meals. In total, 235 teams raised the equivalent of 1.6 million meals during last year's Frenzy.

Asked for his key fundraising tactic, Habachy said last month, “Frankly, for me, it is to simply pick up the phone and call friends and family members and even clients to ask them to participate.”

Teams can sign up throughout the contest at http://galegalfoodfrenzy.org/sign-up/.