This October, the Project Open Hand Oakland Center celebrates its 35th anniversary!
The Oakland Center opened its doors on October 17, 1989 – the day of the Loma Prieta earthquake. With one of the only functional commercial kitchens at our San Francisco location, we opened our new East Bay location early, so Project Open Hand could provide food to those impacted by the quake.
Vicki Giusti, a retired Project Open Hand employee, was there that day, helping to coordinate efforts. She remembers the scene as being chaotic, but unforgettable:
“I keep thinking about when the volunteers in the Project Open Hand t-shirts came off BART with the food, and the people who met them,” she said. “It’s just amazing how people can gather together and make things happen.”
For several weeks afterwards, Project Open Hand produced 15,000 meals a day for those affected by the disaster. Read more about Vicki's story here.
Client-centered services: Self-shopping, demonstrations, and more
That history of providing support to those who need it most continues through our work in the East Bay today.
Today, colorful and bright produce in deep, leafy greens, strawberry reds, and vivid oranges line the refrigerators and shelves of the open-floor concept grocery center. Bustling with clients nearly every weekday, and serving almost 4,000 clients annually, the San Pablo Avenue location in Oakland serves as the heart of our East Bay operations.
Last year, thanks to donor support, the Oakland office was renovated to double our space. The renovations allowed for a large-enough area for clients to be able to shop for themselves at the grocery center and attend cooking demonstrations, as well as the creation of private spaces where nutritionists could conduct client consultations.
“With this newly remodeled space, we’ve created more client choice. They have the same selection of produce here as in San Francisco, but they’re able to go grab the food themselves now, like you would at a grocery store,” says Sami Wilkinson, Manager of the East Bay Wellness program.
“It allows for a more dignified experience for our clients, which was one of our biggest goals with the remodel.”
“For so many years, this space was not reflective of the impact we have here,” Wilkinson continues. “Having this space remodeled right around the anniversary is really exciting, and it’s so timely.”
East Bay Needs Are Growing
An overwhelming 86% of clients who use our services in Alameda County live below the federal poverty line – and many of them are older adults who are over the age of 65.
Last year, the increased demand for services in the East Bay – which includes Alameda and Contra Costa counties – has been startling, particularly those living with HIV/AIDS.
We served 58% more HIV/AIDS clients in the East Bay by providing them with 163% more medically tailored meals and 89% more medically supportive groceries than we did the year before.
This dramatic increase comes at a time when other resources provided during the COVID-19 pandemic have phased out.
Despite this uptick in service, the East Bay Project Open Hand team stays optimistic, says Wilkinson.
“Clients get to meet with the same staff over and over because we’re such a small team,” says Wilkinson. “I think it gives them a sense of belonging here, as well as the opportunity to get to know people. And whenever there’s a new client who comes to shop here, we make it a point to welcome them to the space and show them how the shopping process works.”
Kudos from East Bay Clients
We are proud to provide services for so many people each year. Here’s a look at what some of our clients in the East Bay shared:
“Your services taught me how to eat, opened me up to new foods, and have helped with my health,” says one East Bay client.
“I was a self-professed ‘carnivore’ before. Now, I’m eating vegetables, and the meals have helped with that. I rarely go to the grocery story, so your grocery boxes have really helped with that.”
On to the next 35 years
In 1989, Project Open Hand extended our reach into the Bay Area community and gave the country a new model of care for people living with serious illnesses through meals with love to people living with HIV/AIDS.
Now, as we look at the future of the organization, it’s the dedicated support of donors, volunteers, and team members, who will help us serve Oakland and the Bay Area for the next 35 years. Thank you!
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In honor of our Oakland office's 35th anniversary, we are highlight our services and programming at our Oakland location. This article originally appeared in MealTimes 134.