Project Open Hand

The food has become almost inedible. For the past couple of years, lunches have consisted of strange pairings, colorless foods, overcooked veggies, few salads.
Most lunches are monochromatic, not like the picture posted on open hand’s website.
I have been attending these lunches for over 10 years (not every day, of course) and I can see the difference. The lunches used to be tasty as well as nutritious .
Any elderly person who is relying on these meals as their main sustenance is really out of luck these days.

I’ve been volunteering for Project Open Hand for 3 years now and feel so appreciated. Everyone is so kind and we share a common goal of helping sick people out in our community. It truly is a special place. I don’t understand the negative reviews because the past director, Keven Winge was the most generous and caring person I have ever worked with. The two new co-​directors, Simon and Mark are also very hard-​working and genuinely trying to make POH the best it can be. Just check it out yourself — it’s the best place to volunteer.

There are plenty of very neg reviews documented on ‘Glass Door’ and other feed back sites. I too was 86’d by POH before the last highly paid Director was run out of town. A zero rating would be appropriate for this rip off non profit and it’s lack luster Board. Ruth Brinker is rolling over in her grave and your karma will come back to bite you in the ass. Unilocal STOP posting poz reviews only on this despicable has been.

The quality of food that open hand is giving out is horrible I mean on a scale between 1 and 10 I give it to its dry nasty and I don’t even think a shut is cooking it I mean its Han vegetables and it’s nasty I mean come on 20 years ago the food was good now it seems as the new director of the program is a joke are we can say is concerned about is getting a paycheck he doesn’t care who the people are that is being fed these people need the food this is to the director quit your job go to McDonalds and run out Hamberger made because a McDonald’s hamburger is better than the crap you guys are giving out

I brought a group of coworkers to volunteer to help prepare meals at Project Open Hand. Before starting our work, we were given dinner (a nice perk) and an overview of the awesome work the organization does for the needy.
We were then led to a large table in the kitchen area and shown our chopping tasks. We put our hair up in sexy hair nets, washed our hands, and put on gloves. Since the clientele is the sick and elderly who have weak immune systems, it’s very important that everyone is very clean before they get started.
Our group was asked to chop carrots, celery, and parsley. The set up was perfect for chatting and team building. We quickly found out who has culinary skills and who didn’t know what «diced» means. Everyone had a great time and felt great about supporting such a wonderful organization.

Spent the day volunteering at Project Open Hand and was very impressed with their programs, staff, and overall operations. We has a nice tour of the facility by the volunteer coordinator and then were assigned to several different jobs (veggie prep, assembly line meal packaging, and sorting goods for their grocery store). The staff was obviously used to working with new and untrained volunteers and we were treated well by all.
After our shift was over, we were treated to a delicious lunch (some dishes looked familiar since we were involved in their prep). I was impressed with the foods served … well seasoned, not overcooked, quality ingredients.
I’ve been a supporter of Project Open Hand for many years and am pleased that they remain committed to providing healthy and nutritious meals to those in need.

Project Open Hand seems like is having trouble.
They got rid of the main chef.
Seems like kitchen is crazy right now.
They need more donation and support from public, I understand… it’s hard to work
with tight budget.
I hope it stays in the business to help everyone who needs a good meal.

Project Open Hand was started by Ruth Brinkler in 1985 to provide nourishment to undernourished aids sufferers who couldn’t help themselves.
today, P.O.H. provides «meals of love» to people who are homebound and critcally ill with any serious illness.
while i couldn’t volunteer my time, i do make donations yearly to help their worthy cause…

The volunteers for Project Open Hand are honestly the nicest people you will ever meet. I camer here on a Friday afternoon helping deliver meals for the low income, and everyone I met was very nice! I had a good time with my group from Santa Clara University, as we travelled in the Tenderloin of SF. We even handed out free sandwiches, and those were gone very fast! It’s good, especially as a high school or college student, to reach out to your community and the poor. Watching them makes me always so grateful for everything that I have, and the food I get to eat. There is no other way to describe the feeling you get delivering meals!

This place is awesome! I feel strongly about the cause of feeding sick and elderly people, and that’s what got me started there but now that I’m volunteering regularly, I think it’s the BOMB! I have met some interesting people, some a little weird but that fits in with interesting. All are friendly and super nice. And they always have a well oiled machine so you don’t ever wonder what you are there to do. They make sure you’re not hungry while you’re there and there are many other benefits (including being able to pay off SF tickets with your volunteer hours). I’ve met people who have their birthday parties there with their friends chopping veggies and doing their community services once a year, as well as others who come every week to do their thing. We work and talk and listen to music and it’s fun! Every time I’m there I think about the people I’m helping to feed and I feel a little better about making a difference in someone’s life. After all, we all do have to take care of each other.

«It’s not really like work. It’s more like hanging out with your friends – pitching in to help one another get something important done, and having fun doing it.» So said one of my fellow volunteers at Project Open Hand and you know what? She was right.
Project Open Hand provides daily home-​delivered meals or weekly groceries to people who are homebound and critically ill and hot lunches to seniors. Every day volunteers help chop and cut fresh vegetables and fruits and pack meals. Volunteers come from all walks of life. What they have in common is a generous heart and a desire to help bring food to those who are ill and hungry.
Volunteering at Project Open Hand is a wonderful and satisfying way to give something of your time and effort to your community. I have been volunteering at Project Open Hand once a week for over six months and I really enjoy it. You quickly feel like you’re part of a family and I’m sure that’s one of the main reasons that people keep on volunteering for years and years – some for decades! The volunteer program is very well organized. These people have been doing this for a long time and it shows. There are lots of time-​slots available so it’s easy to fit in to your schedule. They also participate in special events like Pride Week and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival among others.
If you feel the desire to give some time and effort to serve your community I recommend you give Project Open Hand a look!

God bless you Project Open Hand and the work you do in the SF community by supporting and feeding people.
It was my honor to participate in the SF Giants ½ Marathon 2012 Race, which supported POH. I’m glad I have been able to be a small part of supporting POH in this manner.

What an amazing organization! Stopped by POH with a friend at his request to help him carry his weekly supplies home. I now know why he needed the help. We left utterly burdened with his weekly allotment (which he desperately needs) of healthy, fresh foods. The staff was kind, friendly and full of smiles. Truly wonderful organization well deserving of 5 stars and any help we can provide them. I plan to volunteer for them soon.

Not only is Project Open Hand’s peanut butter delicious, but it’s completely affordable. There are no added preservatives, it’s straight up ground peanuts! Do yourself a favor: get this peanut butter and give back to your community.

Got a day or 2 of free time? Come here for a daytime of volunteering. Its great for the community and it feels good that you put some effort in helping people who are in need.

It’s been a while since I volunteered here, but the project is still awesome and one of my faves. I came here recently to volunteer for a full workday (I get a paid day from work to volunteer each year). I’ll let you learn about POH from their website, but here’s a bit about what we did for a day.
We worked up in the grocery center the whole day and Marcus was the man!
8:45: arrival, parked at Van Ness movie theatre parking lot for $ 10
9:00: finished brief orientation, started putting labels on containers intended for fresh homemade peanut butter, helped throw out some icky old food, made «quick pack» bags for the day with certain canned food stuff, loaded 4 ginormous bins of carrots in the walk-​in fridge for the kitchen to use, packed individual bags of yams, refilled grocery center’s grain area and produce section
11:30−12: lunch was provided and was quite yummy, it was nice to finally sit down
12:01: made over a hundred bags of trail mix, refilled meat section of grocery area and refilled the produce section again, made some signs for the produce section b/​c it was time to hand out apples, refilled cheese section of the grocery area, bundle wrapped cheese sticks
We were out of there before 4pm probably b/​c Marcus saw how exhausted we looked. It was all worth it though. A great cause and with all that work it felt like we made a difference.

I wanted to dedicate by 200^th review to Project Open Hand. Found out abt them when I ran the Giants Plate to Plate 5k a few yrs ago. Been volulnteering here since August 2007 where I worked in the kitchen.
Why I enjoy volunteering here:
–an excerpt from their website: Project Open Hand has been providing «meals with love» to people living with serious illnesses and to seniors
–the kitchen area is fun!!! Honestly, it’s such a stress relief when I come here on Saturdays that I can forget abt work and all my troubles. Great volunteers make for great conversation, and we all work towards a common goal, preparing healthy meals for clients.
–staff is very friendly, considerate, and most of all, respectful of ppl from all walks of life.
–I can now say I’m fluent at chopping vegetables. Seriously. I love processors, but chopping the hard way does make a meal much more enjoyable.
–The walk thru the Tenderloin area is interesting to say the least, but I love spending my Saturday mornings in the city!
Anyway, if you have the time and $ this year, definitely look at POH. I think they’re even listed under Disney’s Volunteer Day organizations. It’ll be tough to hang up my apron this month when I leave the Bay Area, but I treasure the hard work and sense of humanity I learned at Open Hand.

Project Open Hand of the East Bay in Oakland is great.
The place is clean, the staff and volunteers are corteous, knowlegeable on their products and service, and ALWAYS acknowlege their clients with a smile upon arrival. The service is quick and very efficient.
A BIG HUG to Vickie and her staff and volunteers, GREAT TEAM!

And now something SPECIAL for my 50^th review:
Project Open Hand
— help people who need help
— meet other friendly volunteers from all walks of life
— learn how cold a walk-​in freezer can be
— see all kinds of people stare at you through the window
— get all sorts of yummy treats made lovingly by the chefs
— meet politicians
— get good at chopping vegetables
— ruin a manicure
— feel good about yourself
— feel good about humanity

Make time to volunteer here, and you won’t regret it. You will feel it was time well-​spent, unlike my day so far hanging out in a jury assembly room for no apparent reason.
I arranged for my alumni group and a group from my work to come here last month, and hope to go back soon. We spent hours packing, sorting, and sometimes composting food. It’s hard work, but fulfilling and fun. Filling grocery orders for clients was particularly rewarding. They offer free and tasty lunch to volunteers, or visit one of the many good restaurants nearby.
They have a great mission, and the foresight to buy the building when they started in the 80s, install solar panels, and compost instead of paying to send biodegradable stuff to the landfill. The staff members that I met were great, and flexible about the needs of volunteers in my groups.

I’m coming up on the three-​year mark volunteering for POH. I have to say, it’s been fantastic. I really look forward to pulling a shift here… having made many friends amongst staff and volunteers alike.
it’s *absolutely* a family — and at the three-​year mark, I’m still a newby by POH standards. there are a heck of a lot of folks here who have volunteered for a decade longer than I have.
wanna work on your knife skills? work here for a while and you’ll be a freakin’ ninja with a chef’s knife — and share a lot of laughs and smiles in the process… all the while knowing you’re helping to put food on the table of someone who needs it.
POH is a very, very good place to volunteer.

What a great organization! I spent my Saturday volunteering here, and I was very impressed with the whole operation. The volunteer coordinator was super nice, and the kitchen crew was amazing — Chef Mike, you rock!
Aside from the wonderful work they are doing for the community, I want to commend everyone for making it really easy to volunteer. Working that assembly line was a little daunting, but I’m glad we made it through! I’ll definitely be back.