Open Hand Atlanta

We cook. We deliver. We teach. We care.
Open Hand seeks to eliminate disability and untimely death due to nutrition-sensitive chronic disease. We serve our community by empowering people to live healthier, more productive lives.

We put our mission first.
We are passionate about building a healthier community. Through people-centered services and partnerships, we create access to healthy meals and nutrition education, empowering our clients and the community to achieve personal goals for health and wellness.

We honor our staff & volunteers as our most valuable resource.
Our people-first culture is part of our DNA. Investing in our employees & volunteers ensures that our clients & customers will receive the very best care.

We pursue innovation.
We pride ourselves in being resourceful, determined, bold and creative in bringing forth solutions to societal challenges.

We embrace diversity.
We are collectively stronger through our inclusive environment that respects different perspectives, cultures and backgrounds.

We act with integrity.
How we achieve our mission is as important as the mission itself. Truth, transparency, respect!

We pledge accountability.
As individuals and as an organization, we make responsible commitments to our community and to each other. We deliver measurable results, not empty promises.

Open Hand was founded in 1988 by Michael Edwards-Pruitt, who rounded up his neighbors to help cook and deliver meals to 14 friends dying from AIDS who were too sick to cook for themselves.
Open Hand expanded our mission to include those with non-HIV related critical illnesses, the disabled, and the homebound elderly in 2000.
Open Hand’s kitchen has been in our current home at 176 Ottley Drive since 1995; our campus tripled in size in 2013-14 as we annexed our building at 181 Armour Drive.
Over the past 20 years, Open Hand has been one of the most collaborative nonprofit organizations in the country, currently working collaboratively with over 100 partner organizations.
Open Hand’s grocery bill, once $500 per month in 1989, is now over $85,000 per week. That’s in excess of $4.4 million per year.
Today Open Hand prepares, packs and delivers nearly 5,000 meals on a daily basis.
Quickly approaching our 30th year of service, Open Hand is one of the largest community-based providers of home-delivered meals and nutrition services in the United States.
Open Hand has long been recognized as one of the most fiscally responsible nonprofit organizations in the country, as acknowledged by Charity Navigator, Guidestar, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

Morning Client Meal Packing
Monday-Sunday, 9am-12pm
Dates: Vary based on availability

PM Client Meal Packing and Cooler Picking
Monday-Sunday, 1pm-4pm
Dates: Vary based on availability

To Sign up: please visit www.openhandatlanta.volunteerhub.com

Description: Meal Packing involves portioning food into individual containers and snack bags on our packing assembly line. With over 5,000 meals to package every day, your help is essential. This is a great project for individuals and families, and a great team-building exercise for school, business and church groups!

Volunteers are expected to stay for the entirety of their scheduled shift.

Volunteer Groups Alert: Reservations for Volunteer Groups (5 or more people) must be coordinated via the Volunteer Services Team. Please email volunteerservices@openhandatlanta.org or call 404-872-2707 if you are interested in bringing a group.

Group Reservation Limit: 25 slots per group

Dress Code:
The temperature of the cooler is 38 degrees, so thick clothing, coats, gloves, and hats are required (dress for winter).
Tennis shoes or nonslip/slip resistant shoes are required; no heels.
Absolutely no jewelry of any kind. This includes but is not limited to rings, bracelets, watches, step-trackers, necklaces, earrings, gauges, cartilage, nose, and permanent piercings.
Long pants are required.
No sleeveless shirts or tank stops. A short sleeved t-shirt is fine. (The packing area can be a little chilly and a light jacket is recommended.)
No headphones, ear buds, or Bluetooth earpieces may be worn.
Age Requirements

For individuals or families of less than 5 people: Volunteers must be age 16 or older.

For groups or families of 5 or more people: When a group or family has 5 or more minors, the minors must be 16 years or older. Every volunteer group with minors must follow the chaperone ratio: 1 adult per every 3 minor volunteers. Chaperones are required to remain with underage volunteers at all times.