The Kentucky Legal Food Frenzy kicks off next week, and both Jessamine County Attorney Brian Goettl and the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Garrard and Jessamine County, Andy Sims, are participating.

The food drive of the Kentucky Bar Association, from which all proceeds go to benefit the Kentucky Association of Food Banks, is a friendly competition between law firms, legal offices and law firms across the state. This year’s goal is 600,000 pounds of donated food items or $150,000 in monetary donations.

The event is a collaborative effort on the behalf of the office of Attorney General Andy Besmear, the Kentucky Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the office of Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and the Kentucky Association of Food Banks. Donations will be collected from Monday, March 27 and Friday, April 7.

The items that are needed most include peanut butter, canned tuna, canned beans, canned soups, stews, pasta, 100% fruit juice, canned fruits, vegetables, macaroni and cheese dinners, whole grains and boxed low sugar cereals. Donors are encouraged to exclude glass containers in their donations.

The event is being held right before the increased demand from the summer season when schools are no longer in session for many children to receive an adequate number of balanced meals. According to the event’s press release, one in five Kentucky children are food insecure, not knowing where they will find their next meal. One in six Kentuckians overall are food insecure, which is above the national average of 15.9%

“My office was really enthusiastic about getting involved,” Jessamine County Attorney Brian Goettl said to the Fiscal Court about the food drive during Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s time to get the food banks loaded up with food so that they can be prepared for the summer months.” He said that local Emergency Medical Service stations, the Nicholasville Police Department and Doug Fain will be assisting with the collection of food.

“You may be thinking that summer months maybe aren’t as bad, but they are actually worse because you have the children who are receiving free and subsidized food at school,” Goettl said. “Over the summer months, twelve out of thirteen of those kids won’t know where the next meal is coming from.”

Goettl said that checks can be made out to The Kentucky Association of Food Banks and delivered to his office, and if the donor wishes for that money to remain in the county, they can mark so in the memo line. He said that monetary donations that are specified for Jessamine County will remain here.

The legal office, firm or school who receives the most donations will be awarded The Attorney General Cup on June 22, 2017.