Munger, Tolles & Olson Claims Top Spot in 2024 Food From The Bar Fundraising Campaigns in Los Angeles and San Francisco
Munger, Tolles & Olson has been named the overall grand champion in both Los Angeles and San Francisco for the 2024 Food From The Bar campaigns supporting their local Feeding America food banks.
The annual, month-long fundraising and volunteering effort continues to be a vital campaign for helping local children and families facing food insecurity during the summer months. Across the country, communities are still recovering from the pandemic and the program has served as a critical source of support for affected families and children.
The Food From The Bar campaigns are structured as friendly competitions among law firms, law schools and legal offices to see who can raise the most money and volunteer the most hours at their local Feeding America-affiliated food banks. MTO has regularly participated by raising funds and volunteering throughout the program’s history.
During the month of May, the MTO offices hosted various fundraising events, including gratitude grams; The Munger Games, the firm’s annual trivia contest; a Mother’s Day Boutique; silent and live auctions; a bake sale; the first-ever Munger Kart competition and more. In addition, MTO’s professional staff raised $5,000 when they elected to forgo a staff appreciation gift and instead donated the gift’s monetary value to local food banks. Attorneys and staff also participated in volunteer events at their local food banks, where they helped sort, weigh and package tens of thousands of produce and meal kits for distribution.
MTO’s Food From The Bar campaign across all three offices was organized and led by co-chairs Kathleen McDowell, Jessica Laird, Erica Tooch, Andrew Delaplane and Wendy Xiao (Los Angeles); Raquel Dominguez and Evan Mann (San Francisco); and Lyndsey Franklin, Daniel Kane and Kyle Schneider (Washington, D.C.). MTO’s Stephanie Herrera also contributed to the San Francisco-Marin campaign by chairing the Food From The Bar Advisory Committee.
In total, the 2024 Los Angeles Food From The Bar campaign raised $479,095 for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, contributing to a total of more than $7 million raised campaign-wide since the campaign’s launch. The 55 participating law firms and companies completed a total of 497 volunteer shifts and donated 1,213 pounds of food. This is the seventh consecutive year the firm’s Los Angeles Office has received the Overall Award.
In San Francisco, Food From The Bar raised a total of $453,502 for the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, with $126,000 raised by MTO alone. This was the eighth time the San Francisco MTO office was named the top fundraiser.
In Washington, D.C., our office and more than 30 other law firms and legal associations raised a total of $517,150 for the Capital Area Food Bank, exceeding the $500,000 goal. Through their funds raised and 136 volunteer hours, 1,034,300 meals will be provided to those in need.
“Amid high demand for food assistance, it is uplifting to see the legal communities unite in support of the Food Bank and our neighbors,” said partner Kathleen McDowell. “Food From The Bar serves as a unifying force, demonstrating the strength of collective action. We are grateful to the Food Banks for giving us this opportunity and their unwavering commitment to see that kids have enough food to eat during the summer months.”