Volunteer Spotlight: Lori Tripp

Lori Tripp started volunteering with The Open Door in 2019 through her church, Easter Lutheran. Her first volunteer role was through Mobile Lunchbox, distributing meals to kids in the summertime. 

“Mobile Lunchbox is great because you can work the same route every day and you get to know the people,” Lori said. While she still volunteers through Mobile Lunchbox every summer, one of Lori’s main volunteer roles has become Warehouse Assistant.

Lori volunteers almost every Tuesday and Thursday evening as a warehouse assistant, regularly pulling a double volunteer shift from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Warehouse Assistant volunteers make sure that the back end of The Open Door’s Eagan Pantry is running smoothly. They stock shelves and the walk-in cooler, organize non-perishable items, and assist in the Eagan Pantry when needed. In a nutshell, Warehouse Assistants keep the wheels turning behind the scenes of the Pantry.

“I like making sure that people have a good selection of food to choose from,” Lori said of why the Warehouse Assistant role is one of her favorites. “It’s also good for me. I get a lot of steps in and there’s a lot of lifting.” 

Lori may enjoy the Warehouse Assistant role best, but she has proven to be a Swiss army knife of a volunteer, stepping in whenever and wherever there’s a need. She regularly volunteered at The Open Door’s infamous, large-scale food distribution at Metcalf Middle School, has picked up donations from community partners, and most recently she joined a new Open Door events committee.  

Common responses around The Open Door when Lori’s name comes up include, “I love Lori!”, or “Lori is the best!”, or “You’re talking about Lori Tripp, right?!” 

With all the hours Lori spends volunteering at The Open Door you’d think she has little time for anything else; wrong. Lori is also a dedicated volunteer at her church, Easter Lutheran, the Eagan Historical Society, and the Women’s Organization of the Minnesota Historical Society. She also volunteers as an election judge and donates platelets every two weeks at the Red Cross.  

To say we are grateful for Lori’s presence within our volunteer corps is an understatement. When asked what she would say to someone considering volunteering at The Open Door she said, “It will be just as good for you as it is for the clients. I love why we do this work and I love the people that I volunteer with.”  

Outside of all her volunteer work, Lori loves to golf and travel, and she worked in public safety for the city of Eagan for 32 years before retiring in 2012. Thank you, Lori, for all the ways you give back to your community, at The Open Door and beyond.  

If you’d like to learn more about Lori’s favorite volunteer role, Warehouse Assistant, or any of The Open Door’s volunteer roles visit theopendoorpantry.org/get-involved/volunteer.