DLA Piper honored by North Texas Food Bank for pro bono assistance

DLA Piper is pleased to announce that the firm has been honored by the North Texas Food Bank with its Exemplary Professional Services of the Year award, presented at the organization’s annual Golden Fork Awards ceremony.

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) supports a diverse 13-county service area, which is home to approximately 800,000 food-insecure North Texans. NTFB is one of the largest members of Feeding America, a hunger relief organization with a nationwide network of food banks. The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted the organization’s daily operations, leading to an increase in client volume, as well as an increase in first-time visitors, with more than 40 percent of those visiting the NTFB Feeding Network doing so for the first time.

“The North Texas Food Bank team is thankful to have the support and sage counsel of the DLA Piper team,” said Jeanne Clark, Chief Finance Officer for the North Texas Food Bank. “Led by Andy Zollinger, this team provides the NTFB with legal support, but they take this dedication a step further by truly advocating on our behalf, providing staff to serve as volunteers and genuinely coming together in support of the NTFB mission. DLA Piper are exceptional candidates, truly deserving of the Exemplary Professional Services of the Year award.”

DLA Piper has served as North Texas Food Bank’s outside general counsel for many years, and has only increased that support during the pandemic, providing advice on a range of issues, from employment law to corporate governance to accessing key government resources. The firm has also provided support through financial donations and non-legal volunteering for more than a decade.

“Working with the North Texas Food Bank team, together with the other attorneys here in DLA Piper’s Dallas office, is some of the most rewarding legal work I do,” said Andy Zollinger, the DLA Piper associate who acts as pro bono general counsel for NTFB. “It is a privilege to work with such a great group of lawyers to help those affected by food insecurity in the Dallas area. The positive impact the North Texas Food Bank has had in our community, particularly over the past year, has been remarkable, and I am proud that DLA Piper has played a part in that.”