On December 20, attorney Tim Mickel presented Maeghan Jones, president of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, with $14,400 in donations from the lawyers and judges who are members of the Chattanooga Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Over $11,000 of the donation was raised at an auction held during the Inn’s annual Holiday Party. The remainder came from private donations made by Inn members.
“This donation will allow us to provide 56,400 meals,” said Jones, herself a lawyer. “I’m amazed each year by the generosity the Inns of Court and our local legal community exhibit through their annual donation to help feed the hungry. Community engagement such as this sustains our mission to eliminate hunger and promote better nutrition.” Jones said that more than approximately one in six adults and one in four children go to bed hungry right here in Chattanooga every night.
“These figures are heartbreaking and shocking,” said Mickel, president of the Inn. “Hunger is an injustice, especially when our children are going hungry. Lawyers have a special duty to combat injustice in any form. The Inn’s annual auction to benefit the Food Bank is one of the ways our members, supported by contributions from area businesses, do their part to fight hunger among our neighbors.”
Bill Hannah, who serves as president-elect of the Inn, thanked the member attorneys and guests for their generosity and thanked the donors of items to the auction, saying, “This donation is one example of the fact that the local legal community, working in partnership with local businesses, has the will to do its part to help eliminate the injustice created by hunger here in our backyard.”
Also known as the Justices Ray L. Brock Jr. - Robert E. Cooper American Inn of Court, the Chattanooga chapter is comprised of more than 100 lawyers and judges. The purpose of the Inn is to improve the skills, professionalism, ethics, and civility of the bench and bar.
For additional information on the Inn, including programs and events, contact Sheri Fox, at (423) 209-4230 or sfox@bakerdonelson.com.