Get to Know Lauren Karpman, Food Outreach Board Member

Food Outreach was a natural fit for Lauren Karpman, who has been a volunteer since 2015 and a board member since 2021. As the Director of Pharmacy at Washington University, Lauren has opened two pharmacies inside the Infectious Disease Clinic, primarily serving their HIV-positive patient population.

Lauren first discovered Food Outreach through a residency program for Schnucks pharmacies. During her residency, she worked as a pharmacist at Food Outreach one to two days a week. At the time Food Outreach had a pharmacy office, and as the resident pharmacist, Lauren would check clients’ blood pressure and weight, talk to clients about their medications, and help them process prescription refills. She would also occasionally help check-in clients at the front desk. Additionally, in her free time she started organizing a volunteer group for the Saturday Cook and Packs.

“I saw how great the services at Food Outreach were during my residency and how helpful it is to clients. I built relationships with Food Outreach clients who weren’t my regular patients, and I also referred my patients to Food Outreach, so there was just a lot of overlap. It was so nice to have that hands-on experience of seeing how Food Outreach impacts people’s lives.”

Schnucks closed the pharmacies during the COVID pandemic, but Lauren continued to volunteer at Food Outreach. When she started her job at Washington University, Lauren saw a lot of overlap between her clients at the clinic and Food Outreach. Lauren was excited when Executive Director Julie Lock reached out about an open board position.

“I feel like it’s such a valuable use of my time because my work on the board of Food Outreach gives me the opportunity to see behind the scenes—the patient’s side and what the staff contributes to every detail of the planning of the meals and the allocation of funds and all of the things that go into running the organization. I’m proud to be a part of it but also feel like when it comes to contributing my time and my money, I enjoy having that visibility to know that everything that we are doing at Food Outreach serves a greater purpose and is all very client oriented. Every decision we make goes to help the clients and doing a better job of serving them.”

Lauren, a mother of three children who are 13 months old, three years old, and five years old, values every moment of her time. Balancing her job, her role with Food Outreach, and caring for her children leaves her with little free time. Nonetheless, she prioritizes activities she loves, including playing tennis, exploring St. Louis’s vibrant culinary scene with her husband, and indulging in reading and audiobooks.