August 2002

Lawyers Helping Hungry Children: An Interview with Lawyers Dan Gunter and Robert Mussehl 

by Allison L. Parker
WSBA Communications Specialist

Hunger is a major problem. The problems associated with hunger are not being adequately addressed by government agencies. We know that kids going hungry is wrong in itself. When something is wrong, there is an ethical imperative to do something. We know that childhood hunger has significant effects on society as a whole, like lower academic achievement and poorer health.… No one has a good answer for the question, 'Why should children go hungry?'" says Dan Gunter, chair of Lawyers Helping Hungry Children (LHHC).

That ethical imperative drives Gunter and LHHC founder Robert Mussehl to take action. In 1991, Mussehl founded the Washington State Lawyers' Campaign for Hunger Relief, with hopes of raising $100,000 for local and international hunger relief. "As a lawyer I feel a responsibility to help the community. Part of our oath is to help," says Mussehl.

In 1997, when the board decided to focus exclusively on hungry children in Washington, the program name was changed to LHHC. Since then, with the help of several hundred volunteers, the campaign has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for programs that feed Washington children, helping serve over one million meals. The current recipients are the Children's Alliance Summer Lunch Program, Emergency Feeding Program, Seattle Summer Sack Lunch, Northwest Harvest Infant Corner and CARE Child Sector.

Both volunteers and donations have been plentiful. "Lawyers are looking for opportunities to correct social injustice. They're looking for a way to help.… It's a matter of awareness. We thought lawyers would be intolerant of the idea of hungry children, and would want to take action," says Mussehl. Each year, LHHC hosts a fundraising breakfast and a letter campaign to solicit cash donations. Because LHHC is coordinated entirely by volunteers, most of the money raised goes directly to the supported organizations. A limited amount is reserved for fundraising promotional costs.

"I have a personal knowledge of some of these issues. I grew up in poverty, and as a kid food was slim," says Gunter. Now that he is in a position to help, Gunter feels an obligation to involve the entire legal community in the fight against hunger. "Ask people if they want children to go hungry. It's an easy sell. There's not a good argument for children going hungry. There's not a good argument for not supporting Lawyers Helping Hungry Children." Most volunteers and donors are lawyers; however, legal support staff have also been instrumental in the campaign. Gunter says LHHC is "a group of busy people plugging away because they are concerned and dedicated to helping." He would like to expand the pool of donors by targeting the legal community at-large this year, including court reporters, videographers and legal copy services. Gunter also hopes to double attendance at the fundraising breakfast, thereby increasing donations dramatically.

Mussehl says: "A hungry child is not acceptable. We can't live with that. Hunger is an act of violence, abuse against children." He and Gunter believe the legal community has a moral, social obligation to feed hungry children, and they are hopeful that with increased donations, more meals will be served this year. For more information about volunteering or donating, call 206-292-5858 or e-mail admin@helpinghungrychildren.org.

• One in eight households in Washington is hungry or at risk of being hungry. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2000)

• There is a higher rate of hunger in Western Washington among food-bank clients (50 percent) than there is nationally (37 percent). (Hunger in America 2001, Food Lifeline, 2001)

• 64 percent of Spokane County food-bank clients report they have gone without food so their children could eat. (Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest, 2001)

• In 2000, almost 300,000 Washington residents participated in the food-stamp program, and nearly half were children (46.3 percent). (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2001)

• One in four Washington children are hungry or at risk of being hungry. (http://foodlifeline.org/hunger/index.html)

• Children who are hungry may be less attentive, independent and curious. Many hungry children have difficulty concentrating; therefore their reading ability, and verbal and motor skills suffer. Children who are hungry often experience headaches, fatigue and illnesses that may cause them to be less physically active. (http://foodlifeline.org/hunger/index.html)

Children's Alliance Summer Lunch Program is a federally funded program operated nationally by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered in Washington by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). OSPI reimburses sponsors for meals served at approved feeding sites in low-income areas to children ages 0-18.

Emergency Feeding Program provides an emergency response to the nutritional needs of people experiencing crisis hunger in King County. The program helps alleviate the hardships of hunger, while providing individuals with resource counseling to help move them toward independence. It offers a proactive, nontraditional approach to food assistance, leading to self-reliance for individuals in need of services. More than one-third of all meals served go to children.

Seattle Summer Sack Lunch is a U.S. Department of Agriculture summer program serving breakfast, lunch and snacks to children ages 0-18 in King County. The program is administered by the City of Seattle Human Services Department. Food is delivered to sites around the county that are located in areas with a large number of low-income families, or where at least 50 percent of enrolled children are qualified as low-income.

Northwest Harvest is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing hunger in Washington. Founded in 1967 as a community-outreach program, Northwest Harvest now provides food to people through approximately 300 hunger programs in the state. Last year, 15,488,415 pounds of food were distributed to hunger programs. Donated funding is used to purchase nutritional staples like rice, beans and meat protein in bulk quantities at very low prices.

CARE is one of the world's largest private international humanitarian organizations, committed to helping families in poor communities improve their lives and achieve lasting victories over poverty. Founded in 1945 to provide relief to survivors of World War II, CARE strives to be a global force within a worldwide movement to end poverty. More than 90 percent of expended resources support program activities. Less than 10 percent of expended resources go toward administrative and fundraising expenditures.

Robert Mussehl was honored with a 1997 Jefferson Award for his efforts to combat childhood hunger. The Jefferson Award recognizes ordinary people who do extraordinary things for their communities. The program is sponsored nationally by the American Institute for Public Service, and was founded by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, state associate to Senator Robert Kennedy.