Project Open Hand
by Stephanie Ghertner
Project Open Hand was founded in 1985 by Ruth Brinker, a retired meal service manager and grandmother, as a grassroots response to the nutritional needs of people with AIDS. In a San Francisco church basement, Ms. Brinker enlisted the help of friends and began preparing meals for seven people with AIDS. Today, Project Open Hand serves over 3,000 people with HIV/AIDS, in addition to seniors and homebound people living with serious illnesses or other debilitating conditions in San Francisco and Alameda counties. In an average month, Project Open Hand provides over 30,000 meals and 11,000 grocery bags to clients living with HIV/AIDS, prepares over 29,000 meals to seniors, and delivers 3,000 meals to people who are homebound with a critical illness. The group now serves more than 7,000 clients – one-thousand times the number of people first touched by Ms. Brinker’s generosity. For nearly 25 years, Project Open Hand’s partnership of volunteers, donors, and staff has provided healthy meals, groceries, nutrition counseling, and emotional support to those in need, and the groundbreaking organization continues to be a model for similar groups around the world.
The cutting-edge nature of Project Open Hand’s mission is also reflected in its progressive approach to operations. The non-profit organization is not only focused on increasing the effectiveness of its programs and services but also the efficiency of its activities. In 2005, Project Open Hand launched the Green Solutions Initiative with the objective of “greening” its facilities. The goal was two-fold: lower operating expenses and reduce environmental impact. Project Open Hand started with basic changes – increasing composting and recycling efforts, converting to energy efficient bulbs, conducting regular water pipe maintenance, and asking employees to turn off lights and computers when not in use. The result of such simple efforts? $60,000 in savings per year! Next, Project Open Hand started to upgrade its fleet of delivery vehicles, replacing 9 mile-per-gallon gas-guzzling vans with fuel-efficient, compact Scions that tripled the fuel economy. The impact? Overall fleet operating costs were reduced by 70%, and the EPA-rated fleet greenhouse gas score increased by 300%!
With its propensity for innovation, Project Open Hand demonstrated what’s good for the environment can also be very good for business. The aforementioned actions maximized economic resources and minimized environmental impact, and the community started to notice. In support of Project Open Hand’s greening efforts, PG&E donated $200,000 to install a state-of-the-art solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal system in 2007. The 22kW, 34-panel solar system produces more than 30,000 kW hours of clean renewable energy each year without emitting any greenhouse gases, and the 10-panel solar thermal system is capable of heating 170,000 gallons of water per year and offsetting the emissions of almost 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Combined, the two solar systems will save Project Open Hand approximately $12,000 annually in energy costs and more than $600,000 over the life of the system. Most importantly, the savings will allow Project Open Hand to serve an additional 6,700 home-delivered meals each year.
“Thanks to PG&E, we have a clean energy system that’s functioning great,” Director of Operations Dan Shuman said. The system symbolizes the kind of forward-thinking organization that Project Open Hand is and makes the non-profit’s operations even more attractive to current and potential donors. The publicity received by the solar system has allowed Project Open Hand to secure additional grants and reach a broader audience, thus increasing its community impact.
While Project Open Hand is proud of its accomplishments, the organization recognizes that there is still more to do. The solar system can be expanded by an additional 30% to produce even more energy, motion sensors can be added to reduce electricity produced by ceiling lights, inefficient refrigerators can be replaced to minimize energy usage, and so on. Green is an ongoing process, and Project Open Hand is always looking for further support to help make these changes happen.
Project Open Hand’s Green Solutions Initiative is evidence that seemingly small behavior changes can create powerful results. The non-profit organization’s multi-faceted approach to greening their daily operations showcases the many ways that individuals and businesses can make a difference. By carefully utilizing its resources and reducing its dependence on non-renewable resources, Project Open Hand serves “meals with love” to the Bay Area community with compassion for the planet.