Venable LLP, through its philanthropic arm, the Venable Foundation, Inc., was honored by the Maryland Food Bank as one of its Heroes Against Hunger recipients and received the Powerhouse Partner of the Year award on May 10, 2018, during an awards breakfast at the Center Club in Baltimore. The award recognizes individuals and organizations who have contributed to the food bank’s mission to vanquish hunger by lifting food-insecure Marylanders out of despair while modeling generosity and hope for everyone.

Venable has long been a supporter of the Maryland Food Bank through the Venable Foundation by providing financial and legal assistance since the early 1980s. Several of the firm’s attorneys have served in leadership roles on the board of the food bank, have done extensive pro bono work, and have volunteered their services. For example, on September 17, 2015, Venable attorneys Marta Harting and John Stierhoff were awarded Maryland Food Bank’s Corporate Volunteer of the Year Hunger Advocate Award for their pro bono lobbying efforts on behalf of the food bank in support of a $3.5 million state capital budget grant made to the food bank in the state’s fiscal year 2016 budget. In addition, for the last several years, on an annual basis, attorneys and staff have volunteered at the food bank.

“We believe that the work of the Maryland Food Bank has improved countless lives in our local communities, and we are pleased to have played a small role in that effort throughout the years,” said Thomas M. Lingan,a partner in Venable’s Environmental Practice who is the co-founder of the Maryland Food Bank’s Lawyers’ Campaign Against Hunger and who accepted the award on behalf of the firm. “Our hope is that the attorneys of Venable, and the attorneys of Maryland, will continue to be a partner in the fight against hunger—as donors, as advocates, as lawyers, and as friends. There is no more consequential issue than the ability to feed your family. Nothing else matters if this fundamental need is not met.”

“We are honored to be considered a Hero Against Hunger and receive the Powerhouse Partner of the Year award from the Maryland Food Bank,” said Lindsay B. Meyer, president of the Venable Foundation. Our partnership with the food bank, which spans decades, is an example of our long tradition of unparalleled giving, which complements the pro bono legal work, community service, volunteer time, and board service of Venable’s attorneys and staff.”

The Maryland Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization, leading the movement to end hunger throughout Maryland. For more than 35 years, the Maryland Food Bank has partnered with communities across the state to distribute food to individuals and families in need, becoming the leading anti-hunger organization in the state. Through carefully crafted programs, the food bank aims to meet the immediate needs of Marylanders while simultaneously working to find long-term ways to reduce hunger statewide. Currently distributing more than 102,000 meals per day—more than 37 million meals annually—the Maryland Food Bank will continue to expand its efforts until hunger ends. For more information, visit mdfoodbank.org.

The Venable Foundation, now in its 35th year, has contributed more than $25 million in the last 10 years to a wide variety of organizations. Established in 1983, the Foundation supports an expansive range of civic, cultural, and charitable endeavors, as well as public interest law and legal education. These include children’s services and funding for disadvantaged families and individuals; homeless shelters and food programs; community organizations, hospitals, hospices, and local chapters of national health organizations; and educational, artistic, and cultural events and organizations. The Foundation is supported by contributions from partners of Venable LLP. For decades the Foundation was led by former Venable partner and former Attorney General of the United States Benjamin Civiletti. His leadership and stewardship of the Foundation set the standard for today’s Venable partnership.

Venable LLP is an American LawyerGlobal 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, and high-net-worth entrepreneurs and individuals. With more than 700 attorneys in offices across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ business objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit www.venable.com.