On Friday, June 13, the 2025 Summer Associate class, along with Jessica Buchsbaum, joined a dozen other South Florida law firms for a volunteer day at Feeding South Florida.

Feeding South Florida is the region’s largest food bank. It serves Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties and partners with nearly 500 retail stores to advance its mission: ending hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food. To carry out this mission, the organization relies on volunteers to sort, inspect, and package donations to ensure they are safe and ready for distribution to those in need.

We began our morning in the orientation room, where dozens of summer associates from firms across South Florida gathered. The room was filled with familiar faces, giving us a chance to reconnect with law school classmates from other firms before settling in to be briefed on the task ahead.

We learned that over 40% of food produced in the United States is wasted, often due to misleading “best by” or expiration dates that do not accurately reflect a product’s safety. Dry goods like pasta, for instance, remain edible for up to three years past their printed date. Similarly, food is frequently discarded due to cosmetic packaging defects, even when the internal contents are perfectly safe. Feeding South Florida helps divert this excess from landfills by rescuing safe but unsellable products and redistributing them to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.

After orientation, we split into task groups: sorters, inspectors, and runners. The Bilzin Sumberg team took on the role of inspectors. Our job was to carefully examine each item to determine whether it met safety and quality standards.

Food and household goods arrived from partner retailers in large cardboard boxes. First, we separated out non-food items into dedicated donation carts. Then, we inspected each item for visible signs of contamination or damage. We reviewed expiration dates to ensure they were within the acceptable range for the type of product and taped up outer packaging where the internal packaging remained sealed. Approved items were then repacked into new boxes and passed off to the runners for distribution preparation. We continued this process box by box until every item was inspected.

The event was a resounding success. Despite a brief disruption caused by a very fast (and very unexpected) mouse that hitched a ride in one of the boxes, all teams stayed focused and committed. Together, we exceeded our goal by 2,200 pounds, collectively sorting, inspecting, and repackaging 15,200 pounds of food, enough to provide over 12,000 meals to local communities.

Volunteering at Feeding South Florida was a meaningful reminder of the impact we can make when we come together in service of others. It was a privilege to contribute to an organization doing such essential work in our community, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support its mission, one box at a time.