Fighting hunger around the state – Café Yumm!

March 19, 2019 – This week, FOOD for Lane County (FFLC) and Oregon Food Bank Network received 47 pallets – nearly 95,000 pounds – of dried black beans from Café Yumm! These beans are headed around the state to help fight hunger. Café Yumm! is a long-time donor to FFLC and this generous gift will provide tens of thousands of meals to families in need.

“The fundamental reason we are in the restaurant business is nourishment, to nourish people and nourish humanity in the world. It goes hand in hand with people who don’t have resources and we need to nourish them as well,” says Mark Beauchamp, Café Yumm!’s President, CEO and Co-Founder. “From the beginning, we have always donated to FOOD For Lane County, even before we were Café Yumm! It’s just fundamental to what we do and this is just a highlight of this relationship over many years.”

“Our partnership with Café Yumm! and the Beauchamps goes back many years and it’s heartwarming to see how they have supported the food bank financially and with food donations,” says Brad Bassi, FFLC Food Resource Developer. “We can always count on Café Yumm! for quality donations.”

Those sentiments are echoed by Oregon Food Bank’s Strategic Sourcing Manager, Katie Pearmine. “We’re thrilled to receive this incredible donation from Café Yumm! and count them as a partner in the fight against hunger,” We’ve heard from our clients that beans are a pantry staple that work for families across many cultures. This donation will go a long way towards helping us halt the spread of hunger.”

The beans were grown in central Oregon on a farm Café Yumm! is helping to transition from traditional growing methods to all organic practices. The timing of the donation coincides with a bumper crop and the restaurant’s move to a larger warehouse. Of the 47 pallets of beans, 21 were donated directly to the Oregon Food Bank Network. They will be repackaged and distributed to food banks throughout the state. The remaining 26 pallets were transported to FFLC’s warehouse to be repackaged and distributed through its partner agencies.

Helping to coordinate the donation at FFLC’s headquarters were (L to R) Brad Bassi (Food for Lane County Food Resource Developer); Mark Beauchamp (President, CEO & Cofounder, Cafe Yumm!); and Mike Sullivan (Warehouse & Distribution, Cafe Yumm!) Listen here to some nice media coverage FFLC received for this wonderful donation.