Quarterly News from Project Open Hand | Published Since 1989 Issue No. 120 ith Love + Food ls w as M ea edic M ine POH @ 35 Spotlight On Celebrating 35 Years The Response to COVID-19: Ruth Would Be Proud uth Brinker, a San “When we first started hearing lunch meals. The grocery centers for POH appeared on social Francisco grandmother about social distancing, we knew and the mobile grocery van media platforms. and retired food-service right away it would have an began pre-packaging groceries New volunteers (neighbors worker, witnessed a close impact on us,” Chief Executive for clients, which helped speed working from home, food friend with AIDS suffering from R Officer Paul Hepfer said. “All up the pickup process, and industry professionals, college malnutrition during the height of signs pointed to the fact that we reduced time spent out of the students, and friends and family the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. were going to have to be ready house for at-risk clients. members of POH staff and At that moment, Ruth knew to respond to this.” Staff members from different volunteers) signed up during the what needed to be done for her When the shelter in place departments and additional hires initial call for volunteers in March. neighbors – provide life-saving order for six Bay Area counties, stepped in where volunteers “We are so grateful,” State nutrition. And that’s how Project including San Francisco and would normally operate. POH Senator Scott Wiener said during Open Hand (POH) got started. Alameda, went into effect on expanded delivery capacity a volunteer shift. “Project Open Fast forward 35 years. Now, March 17 followed by continued to clients sheltering in place, Hand has always been there to on the 35th anniversary of updates to the order, the impact offering meals and groceries. get people the help they need.” when Ruth began cooking was felt throughout all levels of The registered dietitians shifted With no real end in sight yet to and delivering meals out of the organization. all communications with clients the COVID-19 pandemic, CEO her kitchen, POH finds itself to telephone calls and, in some Five of the 16 CNP locations Paul Hepfer believes POH is in another defining moment cases, video conferencing. closed. The 125 daily volunteers equipped for the challenges it of service – responding to the POH depends on were reduced POH also prepared for an faces now and in the future. needs of the community during by 78 percent, many of increase in demand for its the COVID-19 pandemic. whom help with kitchen prep, services during the coronavirus “It’s part of our DNA,” Hepfer said. “There’s something unique Prior to the outbreak, POH was packaging, meal delivery, and crisis. With funding from the to POH that helped in our working to expand services to grocery center duties. Department of Disability and response. Maybe that’s the north more people. POH continued Aging Services (DAS), POH But most importantly, the star of how we were founded, to prepare 2,500 meals a day. acquired a temporary 40- impact was felt by POH clients but it reinforced in us that this is Served warm and nutritious foot freezer trailer that could -- sheltered in place due to why we were created. And we’re meals daily to seniors and store up to 20,000 meals and their age and/or critical health not going to back away from adults with disabilities at 16 expanded meal service to four conditions and dependent on this.” Community Nutrition Program our medically-tailored nutrition. San Francisco Single Residence (CNP) locations in San Francisco. Occupancy (SRO) facilities. That north star POH looks to The dire situation posed a Delivered meals to homebound Medical providers also asked for inspiration and strength was huge challenge: How do you individuals. Provided fresh and POH to provide medically a grandmother and a retired- provide life-saving nutrition nutritious groceries out of its tailored meals to COVID-19 food service worker in a kitchen during the middle of a San Francisco and Oakland patients released from the preparing those first meals for pandemic? grocery centers. Drove out to hospital and recovering at home. delivery 35 years ago. the community to allow clients to Deemed an essential service, Fortunately, since the Will you support our efforts to shop at its mobile grocery van. POH quickly adapted its beginning of the health crisis, get healthy meals with love into operation. CNP added 400 more But when news and reports from POH was never alone. The the hands of those that need it meals per day to its program health organizations began to community responded to most during this critical time? and allowed clients to pick up show that the spread of COVID-19, its call for help. Individual a week’s worth of frozen meals, Please consider an emergency gift particularly in the Bay Area, was donations and contributions with the exception of two sites or a monthly gift today. Thank you. inevitable, POH began to prepare. from organizations flooded in. serving to-go breakfast and Personal fundraising campaigns openhand.org/donate Paul’s Letter It's What We Do Dear Friend, up our service volume while ensuring the commitment, to take on these new cases. hope you are maintaining your physical safety of our clients, staff, and volunteers. This is what we do. and mental health during this difficult As you are well aware, our services are We are developing other potential time. cost effective due in large part to the scenarios that may include adding an I over 100 volunteers who pitch in each additional kitchen and delivery shift to I’d like to share with you what we at Project Open Hand have been going and every day. But with many volunteers double or triple our production, if needed. through the past few months as the cancelling their respective shifts and social We have already procured a 40-foot Covid-19 crisis has hit our cities, region, freezer trailer to store up to 20,000 state, nation, and global community. It is additional meals. truly tragic — but we know our role to play We are proud to be part, as we have as a specialized essential service provider. for 35 years, of the system that takes care Earlier in January, we were thinking about of community members who are ill and the year ahead and that this would be our vulnerable. 35th year of service — it would be a year The situation is ever-changing and we are to celebrate the work and the thousands adapting as quickly as we can. We will work we have helped. We would celebrate our to update you with our communications. progression of meals with love to include We are so grateful for your gifts, the science of meals that heal. donations, and support that allows us Ruth Brinker, our late founder, to increase our capacity in this time of compassionately prepared meals for those unprecedented need. in need during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This distancing straining our model, labor costs If there is any additional help you can is in no way the same because of the fear, immediately rose as did food cost related provide, it would be most appreciated. discrimination, and rejection experienced to purchasing higher cost products that by those who suffered from HIV/AIDS, but require less labor to prepare. Please consider a donation at COVID-19 has shown that those on the With more than half of our volunteers openhand.org/donate. other side of the economic divide, the over 60, we were encouraged by younger elderly, individuals in poor health with volunteers stepping up to the call. But we Thank you again! diabetes, heart disease and other chronic know this will continue to be a challenge illnesses, need our services now more than over the weeks and months to come. ever. We were asked to provide meals to We thought we’d be celebrating Ruth’s some released from the hospital and birthday on May 1 differently, but our recovering from COVID-19. Our clinical collective world has been upended now staff has recommended three-weeks, Paul Hepfer because of the coronavirus. home-delivered meals for this now new Chief Executive Officer Even before Stay-at-Home orders were population in need of our services. in place, POH diligently worked to shore We agreed, without funding Our New Board Chair and Board Members (From Left to Right) Congratulations to our new Board Chair Mike Henry (Google), Board Member Andrea Wilkinson (Zogenix), Board Member Ginny McSwine (Salesforce), Board Member Helene York (ISS Guckenheimer), and Board Member Vishwa Chandra (McKinsey & Co.). We are excited to add their leadership and skills to an already talented group of board of directors. Quarterly News from Project Open Hand | Published Since 1989 Issue No. 120 Project Open Hand’s mission Board of Directors Executive Team Let’s Connect is to improve health outcomes Paul Hepfer openhand.org and quality of life by providing CHAIR: CHAIR OF FINANCE COMMITTEE: Chief Executive Officer nutritious meals to the sick Mike Henry, John Colton, Google Kaiser Permanente and vulnerable, caring for and Ana Ayala, VP, Programs San Francisco educating our community. VICE CHAIR: ACTIVE MEMBERS: Jonathan Jump, VP, Operations 730 Polk Street Ruth Yankoupe, Vishwa Chandra, Jennifer Wieman Petraglia, San Francisco OYO Hotels McKinsey & Company Splunk Amor Santiago, CA 94109 (415) 447-2300 Andrew Chang, Aditya Wakankar, Interim VP, Development Project SECRETARY: Portola Pharmaceuticals EDITOR/WRITER: Mill Road Capital Oakland Patricia King, Kim Madsen, ME.d., R.D., Open Hand Marcus Tolero, California Olive Oil Council Aneesh Krishna, Andrea Wilkinson, 1921 San Pablo Ave.