Spring is nearly upon us, which means summer is right around the corner. For myself and everyone else at Open Hand, that means the countdown is truly on as we look ahead towards moving into our new home at 1380 West Marietta Street. Every day we inch closer to the finish line. I personally visit our new building once a week to make decisions with our construction team to keep us on schedule.
On the Operations side, we have an incredible team of people that have the gargantuan task of not only helping to design a dream cooking, packing, and distribution set-up, but also figure out a plan that allows us to move without interrupting services for our clients. We’re cooking, packing and delivering 5,000 meals a day out of our campus, and have people across Metro Atlanta who rely on the meals we’re able to place on their doorsteps. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as leaving our current kitchen and walking over to our new one: it involves moving equipment that we use every day, thus shutting down our operations.
Although the task is daunting, under the leadership of Susan Anderson, our Chief Operating Officer, and with the guidance of our Plant Director Darryl Brewster (pictured beside me), we have already formulated a Plan A, B, and C. We feel confident and excited to begin serving our clients from our new campus, and to have the capacity to serve even more at-risk neighbors!
Additionally, our design plans are coming to fruition! We hosted our rebranding agency, Matchstic, at 1380 recently to walk the space and brainstorm ways to bring our mission to life for all in the community. We’re eager to welcome you to a warm, inviting campus that’s as colorful and innovative as the food we serve.
I am also humbled to announce that we are just about $1 million away from our $19.5 million capital campaign goal. To be at this juncture is incredible, and I am so honored and grateful to everyone who has helped us get to this great point of achievement.
There's still a long road ahead, but we're thrilled to be at this point in our journey. Stay tuned for an official move-in date and more updates!
Matthew Pieper, Executive Director
Posted February 27, 2024
