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This news report appeared on ABC Channel 7 News on Friday, July 4, 2003. Here is a transcript of the report. You may see the video clip of the report by clicking here.
Volunteers Are Heart And Soul Of Organization
For nearly two decades, Project Open Hand in San Francisco has been delivering healthy meals to people in need. What started as a way to help those living with HIV and AIDS has expanded to serve many others who can't leave their homes, from seniors to the critically ill. In this ABC7 Salutes, volunteers are the heart and soul of this organization.
Tony Ives is a stockbroker, but once a week, you'll find him walking the same route through San Francisco's Tenderloin.
Tony is a volunteer for Project Open Hand. Every Tuesday, he delivers specially prepared meals to people who desperately need them.
Tony Ives, Project Open Hand volunteer: "A lot of folks I deliver food to I can call my friends so I guess they're getting something from me and I'm getting something from them."
Manny de la Cruz, Project Open Hand volunteer: "When I first started to volunteer, I thought it was a way to give back to the community, but more so now that I've been a volunteer. For me it feels like for me to be more a part of the community."
Manny de la Cruz dedicates his Saturday mornings to Project Open Hand's grocery center. He and other volunteers assemble nutritious bags of food for clients.
Manny de la Cruz, Project Open Hand volunteer: "I look forward at the end of the week coming here."
Volunteers share a sense of purpose and a good time. This same group works together once a week in the kitchen, serving up healthful meals to be delivered.
David Chan's been doing it for seven years.
David Chan, Project Open Hand volunteer: "I make it fit into my lifestyle. This is an important part of my life. This is it, it's a set deal in the book."
And that commitment makes a world of difference for those who rely on Project Open Hand's services.
When volunteer Lee Jewell found himself suffering from a debilitating form of pneumonia, he turned to Project Open Hand for help.
Lee Jewell, former client and volunteer: "To have that wonderful volunteer show up and then ask me how I was doing, hang out with me for a few minutes, see if I needed anything, any additional services was truly a godsend. It literally saved my life and helped me recover."
From filling grocery orders to delivering hot meals, about 125 people on average volunteer here every day. If you add up all those hours, it's the equivalent of about 40 full-time staff members.
Tom Nolan, Exec. Dir. Project Open Hand: "The volunteer is really here only because he or she has love in their heart. They care about the clients they're serving."
It all began in 1985 when Ruth Brinker started preparing home cooked meals for seven friends suffering from AIDS. Her mission quickly expanded as the need grew.
Today, Project Open Hand feeds nearly 2,000 people a day. It operates two professional kitchens with a dedicated staff, complete with dieticians, chefs and chefs in training from the California Culinary Academy.
But the volunteers are still a vital part of the program.
Tom Nolan, Exec. Dir. Project Open Hand: "We could not be Project Open Hand without the volunteers. I mean they are the lifeblood of the organization. They inspire me."
And they inspire author Isabelle Allende, whose foundation has supported Open Hand for 10 years.
Isabelle Allende, donor: "I love the spirit. If you see them in the food chain, they're packing or chopping or doing whatever they do, it's fun, in a way, it's a wonderful spirit that keeps people together doing it for years."
Manny de la Cruz, Project Open Hand volunteer: "Volunteering is almost instant gratification when you help other people."
And so ABC7 Salutes Manny de la Cruz and all the volunteers at Project Open Hand who so generously give their time to help those in need.
