Editing Project Open Hand

{{Short description|US nonprofit organization}}
{{Other uses|Open hand}}
[[File:Project Open Hand (4837967350).jpg|thumb|April 15, 2009 ~ Congresswoman Pelosi meets with members of San Francisco's Project Open Hand.]]
'''Project Open Hand''' is a [[California]] [[nonprofit organization]] that provides medically tailored meals and groceries to elderly and homebound people in [[San Francisco]] and [[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]]. Founded in 1985 to deliver meals to people with [[AIDS]], it also took over [[food bank]]s in the 1980s and 1990s and in the 21st century extended its services to include people with other acute and chronic conditions and to serve lunches to seniors. Its headquarters are at 730&nbsp;[[Polk Street]] in the [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]]; its CEO is Paul Hepfer.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
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== History ==
Project Open Hand was created in 1985 by [[Ruth Brinker]], who had worked in food service and as an executive director for [[Meals on Wheels]] and recognized the relatively small number of [[social services]] for those infected with [[HIV]] and their particular need for nourishing food since there was at the time no treatment for AIDS.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |first=Daniel S. |last=Slotnik |title=Ruth Brinker, Who Gave AIDS Patients Meals, Is Dead at 89 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/us/19brinker.html?_r=1 |newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=2011-08-18|accessdate=2021-02-06}}</ref><ref name=sfgate>{{cite news|first=Will|last=Kane|title=Ruth Brinker, Project Open Hand founder, dies |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/13/BAMS1KMB8S.DTL |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |orig-year=2011-08-14 |date=2011-11-30 |accessdate=2021-02-06}}</ref> It began as meal service to seven people with AIDS,<ref name=ABC>{{cite news |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/salutes/070403_salutes_open_hand.html |title=Project Open Hand: Volunteers Are Heart And Soul Of Organization |language=en|publisher=[[KGO-TV]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050415220623/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/salutes/070403_salutes_open_hand.html |date=2003-07-07 |orig-year=2003-07-02 |archive-date=2005-04-15 }}</ref> paid for by a $2,000 grant from the [[San Francisco Zen Center]] and the [[Golden Gate Business Association]].<ref name=Jefferson>{{cite news |first=Suzanne |last=Pullen |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2005%2F07%2F23%2FEDGM7C8L1J1.DTL |title=The Jefferson Award: Ruth Brinker, AIDS project founder |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2005-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514000835/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2005%2F07%2F23%2FEDGM7C8L1J1.DTL |archive-date=2011-05-14 }}</ref> Meals were initially cooked in her kitchen and later at Trinity Episcopal Church;<!-- 1620 Gough St., not Mission Presbyterian. --><ref name=Jefferson/><ref name=Nolan>{{cite news |first=David |last=Tuller |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/SUNDAY-INTERVIEW-Doing-Something-To-Help-Tom-2973227.php |title=Sunday Interview: Doing Something To Help / Tom Nolan, director of Project Open Hand, talks about the tricky job of feeding the hungry and the sick in San Francisco's AIDS community |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2012-02-02 |orig-year=1996-06-21 }}</ref> in 1987, a grant from the [[Chevron Corporation]] enabled a move to a professional kitchen, and Project Open Hand took over a food bank.<ref name=Jefferson/> In 1991, it also took over the AIDS Food Bank from the [[San Francisco AIDS Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt509nd35m/entire_text/ |title=Finding Aid to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) Records, 1982-1995 MSS 94-60 |website=[[Online Archive of California]] |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Timeline |magazine=Annual Report 2011 |publisher=[[San Francisco AIDS Foundation]] |page=14 |date=2012-04-29 |quotation=1991: The AIDS Food Bank transfers to Project Open Hand. }}</ref> It served 500 meals a day by 1988, and opened its [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] branch on October 17, 1989, the day of the [[Loma Prieta earthquake]];<ref name=Jefferson/> it opened a second professional kitchen in Oakland in 1996, and in 1997 moved to 730&nbsp;Polk Street, which it had purchased as its headquarters.<ref name=Jefferson/>

Tom Nolan, executive director from 1994 to 2011, began expanding the organization's mission to include senior citizens and people with serious illnesses other than AIDS and chronic conditions such as [[diabetes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.openhand.org/2011/02/08/executive-director-tom-nolan-to-leave-project-open-hand/ |title=Executive Director Tom Nolan To Leave Project Open Hand |publisher=Project Open Hand |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415161415/http://www.openhand.org/2011/02/08/executive-director-tom-nolan-to-leave-project-open-hand/ |date=2011-02-09 |archive-date=2011-04-15 |type=press release }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Delfin |last=Vigil |url=https://www.openhand.org/blog/tom-nolan-volunteer-service-award |title=Tom Nolan Volunteer Service Award |publisher=Project Open Hand |date=2017-01-26 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref> Nolan was succeeded by Kevin Winge,<ref name=Winge>{{cite news |first=Seth |last=Hemmelgarn |url=https://www.ebar.com/news///245110 |title=Winge leaving Project Open Hand |newspaper=[[Bay Area Reporter]] |date=2015-02-04 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref> who expanded food pickup services from those with HIV or [[breast cancer]] to people with other conditions including [[diabetes]] and [[heart disease]],<ref name=Winge/><ref name=expands>{{cite news |first=Seth |last=Hemmelgarn |url=https://www.ebar.com/news///244619 |title=Project Open Hand expands eligibility for services |newspaper=Bay Area Reporter |date=2014-07-09 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Erin |last=Allday |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/For-San-Francisco-s-AIDS-network-survival-and-8325339.php |title=For San Francisco's AIDS network, survival and evolution |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2016-07-15 |orig-year=2016-06-25 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref> followed in 2016 by Mark Ryle.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alex |last=Madison |url=https://www.ebar.com/news/news//271301 |title=Open Hand CEO leaves for St. Francis Foundation |newspaper=Bay Area Reporter |date=2019-01-23 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref> Paul Hepfer became executive director in March 2019.<ref name=Hepfer>{{cite news |first=Alex |last=Madison |url=https://www.ebar.com/news/news//272876 |title=Open Hand names new CEO |newspaper=Bay Area Reporter |date=2019-02-27 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref>

In 2014–16, Project Open Hand participated in a study by the [[University of California, San Francisco]] of the role of nutritious food in supporting the sick;<ref name=expands/><ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Winge |url=http://sfbaytimes.com/project-open-hand-expands-services-launches-food-medicine-pilot-study/ |title=Project Open Hand Expands Services, Launches Food = Medicine Pilot Study |newspaper=[[San Francisco Bay Times]] |date=2014 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Erin |last=Allday |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/Oakland-food-bank-trial-aims-to-study-diet-s-9174078.php |title=Oakland food bank trial aims to study diet's effects on diabetes |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2016-08-19 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref> since its institution in June 2017, it has played a major role in Food is Medicine, a three-year state-funded pilot project to provide medically tailored meals to chronically ill people receiving assistance through [[Medi-Cal]], the California version of [[Medicaid]].<ref name=Hepfer/>

Much of the organization's work is done by volunteers, 125 a day in 2003.<ref name=ABC/> It is funded by a combination of donations, including from foundations such as the [[Isabel Allende#Foundation|Isabel Allende Foundation]],<ref name=ABC/> federal, and city assistance. {{As of|1996|06}} it delivered 1,600 dinners a day and 1,500 bags of groceries a week, and provided as many as 300 bags of groceries to walk-in clients at its food bank.<ref name=Nolan/> {{As of|2003|07}} it was serving almost 2,000 clients a day,<ref name=ABC/> and in 2004 it had a total of 30,000 clients.<ref name=Jefferson/> {{As of|2011|08}} it was receiving $5.6&nbsp;million a year in donations and government funding and serving almost 2,600 meals a day, to seniors and people with cancer and other serious illnesses in addition to AIDS, as well as providing groceries.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=sfgate/> {{As of|2015|04}} it had a $10&nbsp;million budget and served approximately 8,000 clients, including 4,400 in the senior lunch program.<ref name=Winge/> {{As of|2019|02}} it provided 2,500 meals and 200 bags of groceries a day.<ref name=Hepfer/> Until 2020, when the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area|COVID-19 pandemic]] prevented it, it also hosted holiday gatherings at the end of the year.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Steve |last1=Rubenstein |first2=Vanessa |last2=Arredondo |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Unlike-anything-we-ve-ever-seen-Bay-Area-15726133.php |title='Unlike anything we've ever seen': Bay Area charities brace for a pandemic Thanksgiving |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2020-11-14 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref>

Responding to the AIDS emergency led many charities formed at the time, including Project Open Hand, to prioritize services over bookkeeping; after being taken to task by the ''[[Bay Area Reporter]]'', the organization instituted a board of directors and reduced pay for the director.<ref>{{cite news |first=Meredith |last=May |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Bay-Area-Reporter-40-years-at-hub-of-gay-culture-2368559.php |title=Bay Area Reporter: 40 years at hub of gay culture |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2011-12-07 |orig-year=2011-06-12 |accessdate=2021-02-06 }}</ref> In the late 1980s and early 1990s its finances were investigated and no improprieties found.<ref name=sfgate/>

Singer-songwriter [[Sylvester (singer)|Sylvester]] dictated in his will that posthumous proceeds from his albums would be directed to Project Open Hand and the AIDS Emergency Fund.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mighty Real: Sharon Davis Remembers Sylvester |last=Davis |first=Sharon |publisher=Bank House Books |location=New Romney |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-9573058-9-2 | page=79}}</ref> After the fulfillment of his past debts in the 1990s, the balance of his proceeds have been split between the two organizations since.<ref>{{cite news |author=Matthew S. Bajko |date=April 15, 2010 |title=Sylvester songs profit local AIDS agencies |url=http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=4713 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706133603/http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=4713 |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |newspaper=[[Bay Area Reporter]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.openhand.org Project Open Hand]

{{AIDS}}

[[Category:Hunger relief organizations]]
[[Category:HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1985]]