Frequently Asked Questions

It’s really important to let us know ahead of time, but we understand that sometimes things happen. After your first missed delivery, we will pause your deliveries until we are able to get in touch with you. If you miss more than three deliveries in a 6-month period, we may need to suspend your delivery service for the remaining duration of your current service period. We can resume deliveries when it is time for you to recertify.

Unfortunately we can’t leave food at your door, so someone will need to be present. We want to make sure all your nutritious food arrives safely.

We hope we can help you with your nutrition-related health goals and work with you to achieve better health and wellness.   

Our team of nutrition practitioners, led by registered dietitians, is here to provide you with guidance and information to reach your nutrition-related health goals.

One-on-one counseling and education appointments or drop-in sessions to support you in achieving your health and wellness goals.

Regular nutrition classes and group discussions to help you improve or brush-up on your nutrition knowledge, as well as to meet and engage with our other clients.

Project Open Hand clients may schedule a one-on-one counseling appointment with the Nutrition Team. Our team may also reach out to you directly if we think you may benefit from an appointment based on your provider's recommendations.

If you have food allergies and/or questions about ingredients in our meals, speak with one of our dietitians in one of our Grocery Centers or contact us by phone.

Please note that we are not an allergen-free facility, as our kitchen and warehouse handles ingredients that contain egg, soy, fish, shellfish, milk, peanuts, dairy products, wheat, sesame, and gluten.

Information on each of our meal and groceries options can be found at Our Food.

Freezing is a safe way to increase the shelf life of nutritious foods without losing the nutrients or benefits. Below are a few ideas on how to preserve the integrity of ingredients in our meals.

• Option 1: Allow your frozen meal to thaw in the refrigerator for a day (or up to 3 days) before microwaving. This allows the cooking time to be less and the vegetables won’t be overcooked.

• Option 2: Remove the frozen vegetables from your still frozen meal prior to cooking the meal so that you can cook the components (protein, starch, veggies) for different lengths of time. Vegetables can also be heated separately in a steamer rather than microwaved. 

• Option 3: Heat the meals in the oven or toaster oven. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit, transfer to an oven-proof dish and heat for 10-15 minutes. 

Protecting your privacy is our top priority. Our staff receives extensive training on security practices and HIPAA compliance. We will never ask for your Social Security Number or bank routing information. 

However, as part of our services, we are required to collect certain documents, such as Photo ID, Proof of Income, and/or Proof of Residency. 

To ensure the request for these documents is legitimate, please verify the channel. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of a request for documents, please do not hesitate to contact us at 415-447-2326 immediately to verify.

• Mail: It will be sent from our official return address at 730 Polk Street.

• Email: It will only come from one of our secure emails: clientservices@openhand.org or clientservices-new@openhand.org.

• Phone: A staff member calling to discuss documentation will use the number 415-447-2326.