2020 saw the San Antonio Bar Association launch the inaugural Food from the Bar—a community service project to benefit the San Antonio Food Bank. This project to raise money, food, and awareness for the San Antonio Food Bank was scheduled for the month of March.
San Antonio’s legal community stepped up, with firms large and small, affinity bar groups, and even the Fourth Court of Appeals volunteering to participate in the program. On March 14, these groups packed boxes of food at the Food Bank’s warehouse.
By the following week, emergency orders for physical distancing were in place. Parents and students soon learned about online school. By April 8, the new mask advisory was soon to become a requirement.
April 9 the now-iconic aerial photo of 10,000 cars lined up to receive food from the Food Bank distribution went viral. It was a stark representation of the growing number of people so quickly and devastatingly impacted by COVID-19.
A food drive that started as a friendly competition for a good cause quickly turned to a critical community service, as the coronavirus shut down many aspects of our community. As workers were laid off and businesses shuttered, many families in Bexar and surrounding counties didn’t know where their next meal would come from.
With physical distancing and stay at home protocols in effect, collecting barrels of food donations became infeasible. As a result, the Food Bank’s focus quickly shifted to fundraising to meet the need. For every $1 collected, the Food Bank was able to provide ten pounds of food, which translates into 7 meals.
In addition to making generous donations to the San Antonio Food Bank, SABA members got creative in their communities. Particularly noteworthy is the Wyatt Firm, which has contributed $300,000 to the Food Bank so far. The Gamez Law Firm found a unique solution to support local restaurants and neighbors, and has so far hosted seven neighborhood distributions of staple groceries and sundries.
SABA also recognize the countless members and their staff who have volunteered their time—which is the only way any grocery distribution or the San Antonio Food Bank could meet their delivery demands.
Please celebrate your fellow SABA members who have donated their time, talent, and treasure through the Food From the Bar program, and from their own law firm giving programs.
Law Firms:
Carl Werner & Associates
Chasnoff|Stribling
Chris Pettit & Associates
Davidson Troilo Ream & Garza
Davis Law Firm
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Gamez Law Firm
Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda PLLC
Law Office of George Salinas, PLLC
Wyatt Law Firm
Agencies/Organizations:
US District Court of the Western District of Texas (for SABA from non-appropriated funds)
Fourth Court of Appeals
San Antonio Bar Association—Construction Law Section
San Antonio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
San Antonio Young Lawyers Association/Foundation
William S. Session Chapter—American Inn of Court
San Antonio Paralegal Association
St. Mary’s University School of Law
Click HERE to visit the SA Food Bank volunteer and donation page.
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