More than 774,000 meals.
That’s the end result of a friendly, two-week competition Certified Public Accountants held earlier this year to restock community food banks in Georgia.
And when accountants take on such a task, you can be sure they’re going to break down the numbers: $192,692 raised and 3,314 pounds of food donated to the nine regional food banks operated by The Georgia Food Bank Association (GFBA) through the efforts of employees at more than 70 accounting firms and industry accounting departments across the state.
All of that is the equivalent of 774,083 meals, according to GFBA.
The sixth annual Georgia Accounting Food Fight is a partnership between the Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA) and the GFBA, and each year it has gotten a little larger and more competitive. Teams are formed. Bets are made. Who can fill their break room with the most peanut butter and jelly? It’s office against office. Points are tallied online and in real time.
“We have found the accountants and CPAs to be extremely competitive,” said GFBA Executive Director Danah Craft.
The CPA profession is dedicated to helping eliminate hunger in Georgia, said Boyd E. Search, The Georgia Society of CPA’s president and chief executive officer.
“That dedication is evidenced not only in the dollars and food raised, but by the fact that over 6,000 GSCPA members participated this year. The Food Fight rallies our members unlike anything else we do,” Search said.
Every dollar and donation raised stays within the community where it was given. Craft said having that many accountants raising their voices against food insecurity is huge in the battle to end hunger.
“Most people know about hunger, what they don’t realize is there’s not a ZIP code in this state where it doesn’t exist,” Craft said.
She said food banks help working families who struggle because they can’t make enough money for groceries, and those who need one-time assistance during emergencies.
For CPA Anna Abernathy of Lawrenceville, the Food Fight is not just about the competition. Helping those with food insecurity is a personal devotion.
Every year during Food Fight, Abernathy, her husband and her in-laws all pitch in financial support. Her father-in-law has been active in helping with the food bank in Buford, and she assists with a summer lunch program through her children’s school and also with a food pantry sponsored by her church.
When it comes to fighting hunger, “our commitment runs deep,” said Abernathy. “We’re really blessed for all the things in our life so we try to give back as much as we can.”
In addition to accounting, GFBA also has corporate fundraising partnerships with the legal and technology professions. All of these fundraising drives are framed around the summer months, because food needs are greatest when kids are out of school, Craft said. In Georgia, 60% of students are on free or reduced rate lunches and this goes away when they are not in school, she said.
The Georgia Accounting Food Fight is held each year in August during a slow two-week period when there are not a lot of tax deadlines. The donations help restock food banks after the summer crunch.
GSCPA drives participation by setting up competitions between firms of similar size and awarding winners. Points are scored for raising funds, food donations, and bonus points can be earned for volunteer service at food banks.
“This gives them an opportunity to be in the community, which is an important part of cultivating relationships,” Craft said.
For the fourth year running, Abernathy, competing as a Sole Proprietor, won the Grand Prize Food Fight Hero, raising $6,800 and earning the most points per employee statewide. The Grand Prize Hunger Champion Winner is Nichols, Cauley, & Associates, LLC, in Atlanta raising $26,943 and 95 pounds of food with the most points overall statewide.
“This was our second year participating in the Georgia Accounting Food Fight. It was an amazing experience to see our various offices around the state help their local communities. It was even greater to see how the entire firm came together to fight hunger,” CPA Robbie Eidson of Nichols, Cauley, & Associates, LLC, told the GSCPA.
WHAT INSPIRES CPAs TO PARTICIPATE IN FOOD FIGHT?
Anna Abernathy: Volunteers with food pantries through her church and her children's school. Abernathy helps with a school summer lunch program, and is seeking ways to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the lunches as a supplement to the staples.
“I think that it’s difficult to focus on school when you’re hungry and you don’t know where you’re next meal is coming from,” she said.
Since the Georgia Accounting Food Fight started in 2014, accountants have collectively raised $807,692 and 58,499 pounds of food for Georgia’s food banks.
HELP US INSPIRE ATLANTA
We recognize a big part of our journalistic mission is to shine a spotlight on wrongdoings and to hold our public officials accountable.
But we also understand the importance of celebrating our region’s moments, milestones and people. That’s exactly what we hope to accomplish with Inspire Atlanta.
Each week, Inspire Atlanta will profile a person that makes metro Atlanta a better place in which to live.
Of course, we can't do this alone: We need your help in finding extraordinary people and identifying inspiring stories across our region. We learned about Georgia Accounting Food Fight from The Georgia Society of CPAs.
Know someone who inspires you or makes metro Atlanta a better place for others?
Email us at inspireatlanta@ajc.com.
