To our family of supporters,
As we close out the year, I can’t help but reflect on all the major Open Hand milestones we accomplished this year. None of them would be possible without the ongoing generous support of our donors, volunteers, community referral partners, and legislators. Your commitment, encouragement, and dedication mean the world, and helped us:
Launch our Culinary Workforce Development Program, named in honor of former Open Hand Executive Director Stephen Woods.
Not only is this program a pipeline for future Open Hand employees; it also provides skills training for underemployed individuals seeking a career path in food service. In fact, over 80% of our graduates to date have already secured employment in food services!
Expand the reach of our nutrition education and medically tailored meal programs across Georgia.
This includes Gainesville Senior Services, Golden Harvest Food Bank, Senior Services Inc., Fayette CARE Clinic at Piedmont Wellness Center, Emory Midtown Hospital/Emory Hospital Warner Robins, Mosaic Health Center, and many many more. This brings us one step closer to wide expansion and full mission impact.
Hold the inaugural Georgia Food is Medicine Summit.
Done in partnership with Emory Healthcare, we brought renowned researchers to speak on the value proposition of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling.
Achieve accreditation from the National Food is Medicine Coalition,
recognizing our superior level of service and operational excellence.
Advocate for the preservation of SNAP-Ed funding for another year,
making possible many of our cooking classes for low socioeconomic communities.
Ring in another year of success for:
- Both of our signature fundraisers. Thanks in part to volunteer leadership and our Resource Development team, our Charity Golf Classic and Party in the Kitchen both exceeded their fundraising goals!
- Good Measure Meals. More members of our community have decided to support the mission of Open Hand through our (delicious!) social enterprise, and sales gone up!
- The Bake Shop. This year, we opened up sales to our fresh sweet loaves year-round, with seasonal flavors like blueberry and pumpkin pecan. Because of your loave, these loaves have been flying off the shelves, with every purchase supporting our critical nutrition programming!
Become the venue for Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts’ annual Georgia Delegation Reception.
State representatives, county commissioners, district judges, and other key Fulton County leaders on both sides of the aisle were brought together at our campus. This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our mission and served as a reminder to all just what a valuable service Open Hand provides for the community.
Implement an Enterprise Resource Program (ERP) that consolidates the majority of our technology platforms, resulting in much more accurate data that often can be generated with just one click.
As a result, our inventory control methods are much tighter and, within seconds, we can identify products on hand with a high degree of confidence, decreasing waste. The ERP system also greatly enhances the traceability of our products, which allows us to effectively process food recalls in a timely manner.
Of course, what I’m most proud of is the wonderful feedback we continue to receive from our clients and their families.
We are reminded through their words of kindness, impact, and, most of all, relief, that our mission is worth striving for every day. Uplifting our clients is what motivates us all at Open Hand, as I know it does for our supporters as well.
Although the year is not quite over, and there’s still much to be done at Open Hand—from delivering our final meals of the year to ensuring we’re prepared for whatever may lie ahead in 2026—I am grateful for all we’ve accomplished in 2025 together. To everyone who helped make this year possible: thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I can’t wait to see what we build together next year.
