UT Outpost received over 500 pounds of donations on Nov. 6 from the Texas Law Society’s first-ever food drive, said Valeria Martin, assistant director for basic needs at UT.  

The month-long drive featured a competition between the eight societies of Texas Law, into which law students are divided upon entering the school. UT Outpost organized and distributed over 807 donated items, including canned food and other shelf-stable goods, after the competition ended on Oct. 22. 

The UT Outpost is an on-campus food bank and career closet accessible to all enrolled students. Martin oversees the food bank and said donations from the law school’s Society Program were higher than what they usually receive from a single organization. All of the donations went to the Outpost’s food pantry.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see the volume of food that came in,” Martin said. “That was what we were not expecting.” 

Christopher Sokol, director of student affairs for the School of Law, said leaders in the Society Program chose to partner with UT Outpost because of its work fighting food insecurity for college students. They also wanted to make law students aware of the Outpost’s resources, he said. 

“We were trying to figure out something that was on campus because I think students have an understanding that their classmates or other undergraduate or graduate students have needs,” Sokol said. “We thought it would hit home that by providing a donation, you’re helping a classmate.” 

The Society Program was created in 2004 to build camaraderie among law students, and students can earn points for their society by participating in events throughout the year. The food drive allows busy students to earn points and connect to the greater UT campus and community, Sokol said. 

The Cadena Society, made up of over 30 first-year law students and a handful of second- and third-years, won the competition with 396 collected items. Sokol said student leaders from the Cadena Society repeatedly reminded their team to donate.

The Society Program plans to organize the drive again next year and create more community service opportunities for law students in the future, Sokol said. 

“We have some notes in terms of how we could do it next year and maybe even have better participation,” Sokol said. “I think we’ll learn from year one and try to donate even more next year.”