![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FoodFrenzy2-696x509.jpg\" "\\"FoodFrenzy2\\"\/")
Representing Mercer Law School, Bar Association Community Outreach Co-Chairs Caroline Hager, \u201926, (left) and Emma Brumsey, \u201927, accept the Attorney General\u2019s Cup as champions of the 15th Georgia Legal Food Frenzy at Norfolk Southern in Atlanta. Photo courtesy Caroline Hager<\/p>\n
For the third consecutive year, Mercer University School of Law earned the Attorney General\u2019s Cup as champion of the 15th\u00a0annual\u00a0Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, an eight-day, intrastate law school competition to help support food banks in Georgia.\u00a0This year, Mercer\u2019s team raised a record $28,239, topping last year\u2019s efforts by over 56%.\u00a0The proceeds from Mercer\u2019s team went to Middle Georgia Community Food Bank\u00a0and will provide more than 100,000 meals for hungry families.\u00a0This is the 11th time Mercer Law has won the title.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Spearheaded by\u00a0Mercer Law Student Bar Association Community Outreach Co-Chairs\u00a0Caroline Hager, \u201926,\u00a0and\u00a0Emma Brumsey,\u00a0\u201927,\u00a0the Mercer Law team raised nearly twice as much as the next highest school, the University of Georgia. Emory School of Law, Georgia State University College of Law\u00a0and John Marshall Law School also had teams competing in the student drive. Teams promoted their efforts using LinkedIn videos, gained points by holding volunteer days at their regional food banks, and publicized their achievements on social media.\u00a0In addition to online advertising, Mercer hosted Pie Your Professors, Percent Days at Macon Bagels\u00a0and Fall Line Brewing Co., and a school-wide lunch for those who made pages or contributed to the cause.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCreating momentum is the key to this competition. Spreading the word as soon as possible, raising awareness about the reality of food insecurity, and hosting events people are excited about engages our community. But I never thought the competition total would grow by more than 50% over the two years since my involvement,\u201d Hager said. \u201dPeople will surprise you, but to me, this is no surprise it all. This is merely a strong highlight of our values as Mercer lawyers \u2014 that when we are called to action, we will show up for our community in need. And, of course, none of these efforts would have been possible without my co-chair, Emma Brumsey. Her ability to engage her second-year class and people in other states is truly commendable, which is evidence of her character and her passion for ending food insecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hager said what began as a way to make friends and get involved in the community quickly\u00a0became a cause she is passionate about leading. She was excited to be asked to co-chair the Community Outreach Committee alongside Brumsey.\u00a0The team initially set a goal of raising $20,000 but quickly exceeded it.<\/p>\n
\u201cCaroline inspires me every day. She balances so much with such grace and passion, and her leadership motivates everyone around her, including me. I am so thankful she asked me to serve alongside her this year,\u201d Brumsey said.<\/p>\n
Founded in March 1982, Middle Georgia Community Food Bank provides millions of meals through soup kitchens, after-school programs, shelters, senior centers and other social service organizations.\u00a0There are\u00a0more than 140 food pantries\u00a0affiliated with\u00a0the food bank, serving those in need across a 24-county area. For every $1 donated,\u00a0the food bank\u00a0can supply eight meals to food-insecure neighbors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was enlightened and encouraged to get to know Middle Georgia Community Food Bank during my first year at Mercer Law,\u201d Hager said. \u201cBefore the competition, I thought food banks were like food pantries \u2014 places where people gathered for meals and community. What I quickly learned is that food banks are much larger, with more robust inventories, and they play an integral role in supplying food pantries, which then serve the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut more than that, they provide items we might consider an everyday commodity, but in reality, they are a privilege we haven\u2019t recognized. For example, seeing a birthday cake at the food bank was eye opening. As someone who has been privileged to have a birthday cake every year, I was inspired to contribute to others being able to have a cake for their celebration. Because everyone deserves a treat on their special day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hager said Brumsey was instrumental in rallying students and faculty to donate, volunteer and spread the word.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmma\u00a0brought new life to the competition this year, facilitating a percent day with Macon Bagels, in which a portion of the sales went to the cause. She thought this was not only a way to raise money for the food bank, but also a way to support a local business in the process,\u201d Hager said. \u201cHer enthusiasm made people want to listen, largely because they could see how deeply she believed in the mission for law students to give back to their community. That is what defines a Mercer lawyer.<\/p>\n
Brumsey said, \u201cCommunity service has always mattered deeply to me because I grew up watching my parents pour into our community back home, and their example shaped my heart for service. Even though I am not originally from Georgia, engaging with the needs of this community and contributing where I can has helped make this place truly feel like home. Watching the Mercer Law community come together to support such an important cause has been heartwarming. It reminds us that our purpose here goes far beyond earning a legal education. We\u2019re here to serve, uplift\u00a0and to make a real difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hager said this year\u2019s success was due in part to support from Student Bar Association President Alexis Merritt and Vice President Charlie Johnson.\u00a0Other students who played key roles include Samuel Adams, who was the top fundraiser; Colleen Closson; Bradley Cusnier; Megan Taylor; Leah Jacobs; Victoria Tanner; and Mitch Neel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students truly embody the spirit of a Mercer lawyer by identifying needs within the community, collaborating to meet those challenges, and motivating others to do the same,\u201d said Mercer Law Dean Karen J. Sneddon. \u201cTheir dedication to service and leadership makes a meaningful impact, and we\u2019re excited to continue partnering with the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank in the months ahead to strengthen our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Representing Mercer Law School, Bar Association Community Outreach Co-Chairs Caroline Hager, \u201926, (left) and Emma Brumsey, \u201927, accept the Attorney General\u2019s Cup as champions of the 15th Georgia Legal Food Frenzy at Norfolk Southern in Atlanta. Photo courtesy Caroline Hager For the third consecutive year, Mercer University School of Law earned the Attorney General\u2019s Cup<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42814,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2963,2961,2959,2962,2960],"class_list":["post-42813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-georgia","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-dining","tag-georgia-food","tag-georgia-grocery-stores","tag-georgia-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117384201115315396","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}