Quarterly News from Project Open Hand | Published Since 1989 Issue No. 124 Spotlight On The Journey Ahead: What's Next? hile cities to its clients and community we are really eager to welcome Project Open Hand delivered continue to members, many of whom were folks back ASAP. We miss nearly 270 bags of groceries per reopen and sheltering in place and isolated conversing and breaking bread week to clients at home? lift COVID from society. with our clients,” said Erika “We’ve always delivered restrictions after over a year of W But now that an end to this Molina, Director of CNP. meals, but groceries add closure and uncertainty, Project Open Hand was never offline crisis (hopefully) appears to be For seniors like Robert, the an additional challenge for through it all. It was always open. in sight, Project Open Hand is thought of enjoying a meal in a temperature control and beginning to visualize what a communal setting with friends packing produce in a way that Just ask Robert, a Community post-pandemic world looks like. brings him joy. maintains quality. We found Nutrition Program (CNP) Client. CNP, which shifted its “We’re not meant to be the right sized cardboard box, “One night, everything is operation to providing hot and locked up. That’s not how we worked out the flow with our good. Then, all of a sudden, frozen to-go meals to seniors were made. We are made to distribution team, developed a all hell broke loose,” Robert and adults with disabilities be socializing with others, and good rotation of grocery items said about the beginning of in San Francisco, plans on for seniors that’s very important and started delivering grocery the pandemic. “You hear about reopening 12 community because it keeps our minds and boxes to our clients,“ said Kristi people dying. It was scary.” nutrition sites. They will modify bodies active,” Robert said. Friesen, Manager of Nutrition The 74-year-old Brooklyn Services said. their approach to meet the The Wellness Program, native, who found temporary needs and comfortability of which offers medically-tailored Volunteer services, which residency in a hotel that was currently averages 40 volunteers turned into a shelter for the “I was not going to let the virus stop me." per day and 280 volunteers per homeless during the pandemic, week, will continue to operate believed that he needed to - Robert at minimum capacity until a help out anyway he could. full reopen and expansion Robert is not only a client, but of services is possible. It will he is also a volunteer at Project meals, groceries, and nutrition assess all volunteer needs and Open Hand and this past year its clients in the safest manner counseling and education, will staff them appropriately, based he has been helping package possible. continue to maintain social on need. The department will meals and food that would find “Now more than ever do distancing for the foreseeable continue promoting COVID its way to our clients. people feel socially isolated future and will prioritize client vaccinations and ask volunteers to self-screen for any health “It’s good to help somebody. and in need of community and staff safety. Client and issues. I have a gift which is to help and congregation. Research Nutrition Services will continue people,” he said. “I’m a stubborn has linked social isolation to engage clients with reduced “For us to continue to engage old man. I was not going to let and loneliness to higher risks physical contact. The Wellness volunteers in the months to the virus stop me from going to for a variety of physical and Program will also continue come, it is imperative that we work,” he said. mental conditions: high blood providing a service to clients protect each other,” Diana pressure, heart disease, obesity, that was started during the Contreras, Director of Volunteer Like Robert, Project Open a weakened immune system, pandemic – home delivered Services said. Hand’s staff and volunteers anxiety, depression, and groceries. worked feverishly to provide “The concept of going back cognitive decline. That’s why access to life-saving nutrition Did you know that on average, to normal is not one I can relate (continued page 5) Paul’s Letter We Were Never Offline Community Nutrition Program Wins Important Funding The Community Nutrition Program (CNP) won three contracts from the City of San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS) that will support the program for the next four years. This means we will serve 294,200 meals in the fiscal year (starting July 1) to seniors, adults with disabilties (AWD), and delivery to AWD. Once a full reopen occurs, a total of 12 CNP sites across the city will open its doors for clients to enjoy meals in a safe, communal setting. Dear Friend, And in the United States, it’s estimated that Our Community Nutrition Program, which ecently I heard that we are a community 45 percent of deaths from heart disease, provides meals in communal settings to and a nation coming back online. stroke, or diabetes are linked to poor diet. seniors and adults with disabilities across R San Francisco, is important in addressing And thankfully, it is. And individuals who are food and nutrition insecure are at higher risk for the health risks and costs of social isolation. Every day we are witnessing a return chronic disease, especially for Black, Latino, As our cover-story, CNP client Robert back to normalcy. Families and friends and Native American people, and residents said, “We are not meant to be locked up... are gathering without masks. Parents are of lower-income areas. And this problem we are meant to be socializing.” dropping kids off at school. Restaurants was especially heightened during the And our efforts to continue to serve this are once again packed with diners who pandemic. are more than willing to add a little extra population received a huge boost after the tip to the dinner bill. And events can finally These are some of the reasons why our CNP program recently won three contracts be enjoyed in-person rather than on your work of providing more access to nutrition from the City of San Francisco Department phone or laptop. is so vital to the health of our clients and of Disability and Aging Services (DAS). We our community. As mentioned in our cover anticipate serving 294,200 CNP meals in While the country continues to come story, our grocery delivery program, which the first year of a four-year period. back online, I am even more proud to say was adopted during the pandemic, is Yes, the pandemic is nearing an end and that Project Open Hand was never offline one example. With over 270 grocery bag during this whole time. Our 130 employees normal life is coming back online. But for deliveries per week, we understood that Project Open Hand, the path to helping our and hundreds of volunteers came to work this was a service we had to continue. every day and we adapted every aspect of clients and community will always continue, our work in ways that we would have never Another issue is a great concern. no matter what roadblocks we may face. imagined. According to the Administration for Thank you for your support! Community Living, nearly 25% of U.S. We didn’t do this because we had to. We adults over 65 are considered to be socially did this because our clients and community isolated. And for those experiencing social needed us to. isolation, harmful health outcomes have But as life continues to go back to normal been associated with chronic isolation and and we pivot to living in a post-pandemic loneliness, including premature death, world, we understand that there are bigger a higher risk for developing dementia, issues moving forward. heart failure and stroke, and increased Paul Hepfer Chief Executive Officer According to a recent Washinton Post risk of hospitalizations. Because of these story, we’ve learned that over the last outcomes, an AARP study revealed that an additional $6.7 billion is spent annually on 25 years, nutrition has become the most To help, go to openhand.org. powerful detriment of health for everyone. enrollees who are socially isolated. Quarterly News from Project Open Hand | Published Since 1989 Issue No. 124 Project Open Hand’s mission Board of Directors Executive Team Let’s Connect is to improve health outcomes Paul Hepfer openhand.org CHAIR: CHAIR OF FINANCE COMMITTEE: and quality of life by providing Chief Executive Officer Mike Henry, nutritious meals to the sick John Colton, Google Kaiser Permanante Ana Ayala, VP, Programs and vulnerable, caring for and San Francisco VICE CHAIR: Jonathan Jump, VP, Operations educating our community. MEMBERS: 730 Polk Street Ruth Yankoupe, Vishwa Chandra, Jennifer Wieman Petraglia, Herbert Dong, VP, Finance and San Francisco Getaround McKinsey & Company Splunk Information Technology CA 94109 (415) 447-2300 Andrew Chang, Aditya Wakankar, Project SECRETARY: Sangamo Therapeutics Amor Santiago, VP, Development and Osterweis Capital Oakland EDITOR/WRITER: Patricia King, Community Affairs Open Hand California Olive Oil Council Theresa Chang, Andrea Wilkinson, 1921 San Pablo Ave. Marcus Tolero, Manager, Splunk Zogenix Kim Madsen, ME.d., R.D., Oakland Director, Nutrition Services CA 94612 Marketing and Communications Helene York, Ginny McSwine, (510) 622-0221 Salesforce Guckenheimer FOUNDER: Ruth Brinker 2 | MealTimes | Issue 124 Community Spotlight: Destined to Help rika Molina always kept an ear out for the doorbell. It was the and it came to fruition in August of 2017 when the organization Emost important duty of the day for her.