The Open Door Mission has been providing beneficial services to people in need for several years. The group is known for its work with assisting families and individuals by providing clothing items through their Timberlake Outreach Center and teaching the Gospel to those willing to listen.

The organization was founded in 1954 and provides assistance to over 300 men, women and children throughout the area. However, the Mission has been in need of help the past several years, due to a shortage in resources and staff members.

On Aug. 20, more than 200 students, faculty and staff from the School of Law answered the Open Door Mission’s call for help.

The massive volunteer effort was part of the first-year Law student orientation program.

The entire first-year law school class, several second-year student “mentors,” faculty and staff members were transported to the center and were divided into various groups.

The teams helped organize a large store used to provide clothing items to the less fortunate, helped make sandwiches, cleaned out a pantry and chiseled a large mound of ice in the kitchen’s freezer.

Cris Morris, volunteer and partner director of the Open Door Mission, worked with the law school to organize the volunteer effort.

“These students were willing to do whatever it took to get that job done,” Morris said. “It was just wonderful that they were so willing to do all that.”

Jill Anderson, a second-year Law student, was a mentor during the two-day orientation and was one of about 20 mentors who helped with the volunteer work.

“I felt like I helped out, but everyone left at four o’clock except a group of about 10 guys decided to stay until 6 p.m. to keep cleaning out the freezer,” Anderson said. They helped chisel a large ice mound that grew in size in the kitchen’s freezer for years.

“What really stood out was that these students were willing to stay after their time was up and finish the job even though they didn’t have to,” Morris said. “It was a huge help.”

Christine Galt, a first-year Law student, helped make over 1,000 sandwiches in the kitchen.

“We were only there for two hours but with over 200 people helping, I feel like we got a lot of things accomplished and the amount of resources that we could bring in for just two hours was really helpful,” Galt said.

The Open Door Mission delivers those sandwiches to families throughout the Omaha metropolitan area every Friday.

Besides helping a cause and making a difference, the effort was beneficial for law students in getting to know each other and their professors, including deans of the law school.

“It was cool to get to know the professors like that before having a class with them,” Galt said. “It also was a good way for the students to socialize and get to know each other.”

This was the first year the law school volunteered with the Open Door Mission.