The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) was recognized by Feeding Illinois for the success of Lawyers Feeding Illinois, an initiative during Urbana lawyer John Thies’s presidency of the bar in 2012-13 to raise food and funds for the benefit of Illinoisans facing hunger.

Jim Hires, board chair of Feeding Illinois and executive director of the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, presented a commemorative plate acknowledging the success of the project to current ISBA President Paula H. Holderman, accompanied by John and Terry Thies, on December 14 during the ISBA’s Midyear Meeting at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in Chicago. Terry Thies served as the ISBA’s chair of the statewide effort.

During the campaign, the ISBA exceeded its goal of raising 1 million meals:  lawyer teams and more than 2,000 donors raised more than 4.6 million meals. Attorney General Lisa Madigan supported the campaign, along with Illinois judges, who placed collection containers for non-perishable food items in courthouses in all parts of the state. Additional financial support for the project came from Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund and ISBA Mutual Insurance Company. Numerous local, ethnic and specialty bar associations also participated.

The 32,000-member organization, with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois lawyers, and education and services to the public.

Feeding Illinois is a coalition of eight Feeding America food banks providing food to 1,885 agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters that feed 1.4 million residents across the state. The organization is committed to educating people about the role of food banks in addressing hunger and raising awareness of the need to devote more resources and attention to hunger issues. Feeding Illinois is made up of Central Illinois Foodbank, Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, the Peoria Area Food Bank, River Bend Foodbank, St. Louis Area Foodbank and Tri-State Foodbank.