You’ve Made a Difference for Open Hand

Meet Matt.

Matt first volunteered at Open Hand Atlanta back in the mid-90s.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Matt returned to Open Hand to lead the organization’s fundraising efforts, ultimately accepting the role of Executive Director in 2011.

Under his leadership, Open Hand cooks, packs, and delivers nearly 5,000 healthy meals each day to people in 18 metro Atlanta counties. Recipients include homebound seniors, at-risk children, and individuals battling chronic illnesses such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, renal disease, and cancer. Well over 90 percent of Open Hand clients fall below 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold.

But Open Hand doesn’t just address food insecurity or hunger. Their mission is to help their clients achieve better health outcomes. Their meals are medically tailored to prevent or better manage the onset of nutrition-sensitive complications associated with their clients' medical conditions. They also provide a variety of highly effective nutrition education interventions, including classes focused on teaching low-income individuals how to shop, read nutrition labels, and prepare healthy meals for their families, even on a very tight budget.

Thanks to 2019’s Be Rich donations, we were able to provide Matt and Open Hand a financial gift to help bridge the gap between the cost of providing all of these services and the funding they receive from federal reimbursements.

Because of your generosity—and the hours you give through your volunteer efforts—Matt and his team will be able to continue their incredible work in the Atlanta community and keep hope alive for the thousands of medically vulnerable individuals they serve each day.

Thank you for making a difference.