This July, our team had the honor of spending the day with FOOD For Lane County (FFLC) — one of our region’s most impactful nonprofits, working to alleviate hunger and provide equitable food access across Lane County.

If you volunteer at Food For Lane County, Caitlin Caldwell, the organization's Community Giving Coordinator, will give you a fun tour of their warehouse. She walked us through their operations, including a peek inside their industrial-sized fridges that fit the entire Blue Lotus Chai team!

Peace & Chai

Donated 100+ Pouches of Chai

Donated 500 Meals

Sorted 3,200+ Ibs of Canned Food

As part of our volunteer day, the Blue Lotus Chai team helped sort over 3,200 pounds of food donated at the Lane County Fair — a portion of the 17,000 pounds of canned goods gifted by the public.

Volunteers sorting through a large box of canned goods in a warehouse

Two volunteers sorting canned goods at Food for Lane County

Dan Budd, FFLC’s Volunteer Coordinator and Kitchen Manager, guided us through the sorting process, sharing how the 150+ volunteers who come through the warehouse each week are a critical part of keeping FFLC’s food distribution running smoothly.

Volunteers listening to instruction from Food for Lane County's Volunteer Coordinator on properly sorting donations

Volunteers in the Food for Lane County kitchen getting a tour of the facility

A highlight of the day was FFLC’s pink pallet jack with a Pink Pony Club sticker. (Lots of Chappell Roan fans here at Blue Lotus Chai!)

Peace & Chai in Action

Through Peace & Chai, we were able to contribute more than just our time.

We donated over 100 pouches of Blue Lotus Chai, which were distributed across three areas: With help from FFLC, the pouches were distributed to pantry coffee & tea boxes shared with partner agencies. They also stocked FFLC’s staff and volunteer sharing shelf. We were also excited to learn that some of the pouches went towards FFLC’s upcoming “Tea Time” silent auction — their largest annual fundraiser, aiming to raise one million meals.

Blue Lotus Chai also donated $250, enough to provide 500 meals to local families.

At Food For Lane County, just $1 can provide two meals

This Peace & Chai partnership was made possible by Sundar Bennett, a member of the Blue Lotus Chai team, who nominated FOOD For Lane County as one of our July Peace & Chai recipients. Thank you, Sundar!

The Need is Growing

During our visit, Caitlin shared something that stuck with us—

“We’re seeing a reduction in some of our food sourcing given the current climate. There’s an increased need, but less sourcing is happening.”

She continued to explain how now is the time to continue to organizing food drives, donate food, and get involved through volunteer programs like FOOD For Lane County. We’re deeply grateful to FFLC for welcoming us into their space and showing us how much heart and effort it takes to keep a community fed. We can’t wait to come back.