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• 2012

Law Students Collect 4,201 Food Items for Local Families in Need

In the annual Thanksgiving food drive contest held on Nov. 16 in the Law School's entrance hall, an impressive structure built by the 1L students in the Barge & Shack Legal Practice section swept first place in all three categories of Most Creative, Best Content, and Overall Best Entry. The judges - Dean Douglas, Professors Jayne Barnard and Susan Grover, and Gloria Todd - were mum as to whether it was the Campbell Soup can walls, the beat of the B52s' "Love Shack" (the firm's theme song), or the disco ball that sealed the group's impressive sweep. In all, students collected 4,201 food items this year, a count that surpassed last's year's drive that collected 2,681 items.

The Thanksgiving Basket Contest is sponsored each year by the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and takes the form of a spirited competition in which groups of students vie against each other for top honors in quantity of food collected and artful presentation. This year's contest focused on the first-year class, which is organized into small groups, or sections, by the Legal Practice Program. Among this year's colorful entries: "Skyler and the Twirling Peacocks," named in honor of Skyler Peacock '14; a ski-themed contender titled"Marshall's Slippery Slope"; and an "Up" movie-themed display.

BLSA President Diana Cooper '13 said the organization sponsors the drive because "community is important to us."  "We have a lot of good people here," she said, looking around at the contest entries. BLSA's Community Service Committee, led by Edward Brookins '14 and Hiliary Johnson '15, coordinated the event.

Third-year law student Tiffany Ferris is a Legal Practice Fellow who assisted BLSA with organizing the contest among the Legal Practice sections. She said she was amazed by the students' efforts.  "The 1Ls really came together to do something great," she said.

The section of Kaplan, Walter & Wolfe contributed a "Hunger Games" themed entry and its members first heard about the contest during orientation, according to the firm's Legal Practice Fellow, Nadja Wolf '15.  She said the contest provides an opportunity "to have fun and be really creative" for a good cause.

In addition to the food items contributed by students, grocery stores such as Farm Fresh, Harris Teeter, Martin's, and Trader Joe's also contributed turkeys. Following the competition, BLSA members boxed the items for collection by The Campus Kitchen at William & Mary, which distributed them to local families in need.