As more and more people are successfully pursuing COVID-19 vaccinations, businesses and organizations across the country are striving to return to operations that more closely resemble pre-pandemic modifications. This is true for Open Hand Atlanta as well.

Starting next week we are delighted that we will once again be welcoming volunteers who have received their COVID-19 vaccinations back to our campus, where they will play an integral role in helping us to pack our meals for delivery. Their return is a milestone in our history as our volunteers have always been such a strength of our mission and business model. They pour love into every meal they help to package and deliver, and they help to make our services more sustainable because they so generously give of their time. Similarly, employees who have been working from home, but have now received their vaccinations, will once again begin to spend more time within our offices.

During the worst of the pandemic, we were very proud to be shipping meals throughout Georgia to the seniors normally served by Senior Centers that understandably had to temporarily close in order to reduce risk of infection. I can say with confidence that because we were able to meet this demand, Open Hand’s reputation and awareness is significantly growing beyond the metro-Atlanta area. In fact, we’re honored to recently have been named the nutrition provider for seniors receiving services through Madison County Senior Services. We anticipate, in the upcoming months, that more county-based senior programs will be reaching out to Open Hand for our services, a true testament to the quality of our meals, nutrition education, and excellence of our customer service.

As always, please reach out with your questions and thoughts. I’m always appreciative to hear from you at mpieper@openhandatlanta.org.

- Matthew Pieper, Executive Director