site.openhandstore.org Blog

Open Hand is on SF GATE!

Jesse Hamlin of the SF Chronicle has written a wonderful article about the joys of volunteering at Project Open Hand. You can read the article by clicking, here. It’s a nice story and I don’t want to give too much away but Jesse picks up on a theme we discussed on Friday: Project Open Hand loves volunteers and we need them each and every day of the year.

In order to fulfill our mission, we need 100 volunteers every day. We need volunteers in the kitchen and we need volunteers in the Grocery Center. We need volunteers to deliver meals and we need volunteers for special events. We need volunteers in San Francisco and we need volunteers in the East Bay. We need volunteers to help with our HIV program, we need volunteers to help our clients living with other critical illnesses and we need volunteers to work with Seniors. We need volunteers to help with just about everything we do.

To learn more about the joys of volunteering at Open Hand, click here.

We need volunteers on Thanksgiving Day … and every other day of the year

Every year around the holidays we see our volunteer participation increase and that’s a great thing for us. We understand that the holidays bring out certain emotions and people want to do their part to support our mission. Volunteers play a huge role in helping us meet the needs of our clients. In fact, it takes about 100 volunteers per day to make things go around here. That’s 100 volunteers per day, each and every day of the year. What are we getting at here? Well, we love to see you on the holidays and we love to see all those other days on the calendar! This year, consider volunteering at Open Hand and playing a role in providing meals with love to our clients.

Heads Up: Jesse Hamlin of the SF Chronicle will be running a story on POH volunteers this Sunday. Check the SF GATE or this blog for links to the article.

Turkey Time!

Have you ever tried to make Thanksgiving dinner for 2400 people? It’s not easy and you need a lot of turkey. How much? Oh, about 3000 pounds! Fortunately for Project Open Hand we have good friends who help us make it happen. This year, as they have in many years past, the good folks at the California State Automobile Association (CSAA) stepped in with a generous donation of 120 very big turkeys. These turkeys will be roasted, carved and served up with mash potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. And of course, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a slice of pumpkin pie! We extend our sincerest thanks to the CSAA, their support has helped make Thanksgiving truly special for our clients over the years.

Yeah but what if I live in the East Bay?

Glad you asked! We have a beautiful new Grocery Center at 1921 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, just 2 blocks from the 19th Street BART station. And just like our San Francisco locations you’ll find plenty of fresh produce choices just waiting for you. This week and just in time for the holidays we have acorn squash. You’ll also find fresh tomatoes and strawberries (strawberries!) alongsdie the usual assortment of whole grains, lean proteins and fresh dairy choices. Stop on by and say “hi” to the the East Bay crew – and grab some of those strawberries before they disappear!

New Online Store! www.openhandstore.org

We are very excited to announce the Grand Opening of Project Open Hand’s newest venture: our online store (www.openhandstore.org).

We’ve had many inquiries over the years from kind and generous folks who have asked us how they can get items with the Project Open Hand logo on them. We have been working on this concept for the last few months and now have a way that everyone can be part of Project Open Hand.

Always wanted to buy that hard to find POH T-shirt? Missed out on getting a Plate to Plate coffee mug? Need a special gift for the holidays for that special someone? The POH store has it all at www.openhandstore.org. (We’ll be adding more items in the future, so if you have any suggestions for what else we can sell, please let us know.)

Don’t forget, these items are intended to raise much needed money for POH’s meal and nutrition services—so spread the word and encourage friends and family to purchase these items for a good cause (a free recipe booklet will be included with every order!).

Koo Koo for Reduced Sugar Cocoa Puffs!

Cold cereal is back! For many of our Grocery Center clients out there, this is the best news one could hear. If you shop any time this month you’ll find Reduced Sugar Cocoa Puffs waiting for you on the shelves. This item has 3 grams of sugar per serving as compared to 12 grams for regular Cocoa Puffs. This product is also made with whole grain corn meal. Now, let’s not kid ourselves, this is not a health food product so if you have concerns about your sugar intake you may want to choose oatmeal instead. Of course, you can’t eat oatmeal by the handful right out of the box and you certainly won’t have any chocolaty milk to slurp up when you get to the bottom of your oatmeal bowl…
Speaking of milk, we’ve got some great soy milk products available. We are featuring the Pearl brand of soy milk in vanilla and chocolate. Pearl is made by Kikkoman; it is lactose free, high in protein and does not need to be refrigerated until it’s opened. Soy milk & Cocoa Puffs, what could be better?

Tutto Naturale!

Paul Newman: great actor and maker of some fine foods. This month, the San Francisco Grocery Center is offering Mr. Newman’s Light Balsamic salad dressing. This product is organic and is the “light” version so it has 50% fewer calories and fat than regular dressing. You can use this dressing to top off the fresh produce you pick up on your next shop. This dressing would also make a nice topping for a cold bean salad and it just so happens we are offering pinto beans and black beans in the GC. And come to think of it, this dressing would make a fine marinade for chicken, like the chicken fryers we are offering in, where else, the Grocery Center.

New whole grain breads in the SF Grocery Center

We are excited to offer two new styles of whole-grain bread in the San Francisco Grocery Center. These are German-style breads, very moist and dense. These breads match well with cheese and other savory sides. We have an organic 3-grain bread and organic linseed bread; both breads are high in fiber, low in cholesterol and wheat-free. These breads were purchased through the San Francisco Food Bank which means supplies are limited so stock up while you can.

Brussels Sprouts!!!

Hope you’re hungry because we’ve got some great stuff on the shelves here in the San Francisco Grocery Center. If you’re like us, you probably had a wee bit too much candy on Halloween (and after Halloween and probably before Halloween) but that’s okay, that’s what fresh fruits and veggies are for, right?

We’ve got plenty of the good stuff here in the SF Grocery Center, like Brussels sprouts. Yes, Brussels sprouts! Come on down to the Grocery Center and help yourself! What? They’re delicious, nutritious and cruciferous and we’ve got ‘em fresh. The last time you had Brussels sprouts they were probably the frozen kind, overcooked, bitter and mushy. Well, forget all that. These sprouts are local, fresh from the field and oh so tasty. Still not convinced, then how about carrots? We’ve got carrots, potatoes, Granny Smith apples, cabbage, oranges and bananas.

Looking for protein? We’ve got salmon, chicken and vegetarian enchiladas not to mention tuna, peanut butter, macadamia nuts and salami (mmmm, salami). In the whole grains category you’ll find brown rice, oatmeal and whole wheat bread. And in the dairy section we’re featuring Wallaby brand organic yogurt. It’s a great time to shop, so come on down!