For the last 31 years, Lisa Erdos has been a staple in the Project Open Hand kitchen. Every Sunday, she joins a group of regular volunteers to chop vegetables, package food, and lend a hand wherever needed in the kitchen. To date, she has volunteered over 2,400 hours!
“I started volunteering for Project Open Hand in 1993 after a close friend in my apartment building died of AIDS,” says Lisa. “Many of us in the building helped him out by cooking his favorite meals as he got weaker and was unable to cook for himself.”
After her neighbor passed away, Lisa searched for an organization in the Bay Area that served people living with HIV/AIDS, hoping to donate to that organization in her neighbor’s name as a way to commemorate him. That’s when she found Project Open Hand.
Not knowing a lot about the organization, Lisa decided to volunteer at Project Open Hand first and see if our services aligned with the kinds of programs she wanted to donate to. She started out by delivering meals, and then eventually switched to working in the kitchen.
“I was hooked!” She says. “Working with all the chefs and other volunteers throughout the years has been super fun and allows me to make a difference in my community.”
Lisa, a retired chemist who enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities in her free time, says that it’s the joy of working with her Sunday volunteer group that keeps her coming back to volunteer – she knows the work she is doing is desperately needed.
It’s a regular occurrence when Lisa wears her Project Open Hand t-shirt or hat on her way to or from volunteering that someone stops her because they know our organization.
“It’s quite incredible,” she says, “to be wearing my shirt or hat and someone will say something like, ‘Hey! My partner got meals from Project Open Hand,’ or ‘Do you work there?,’” and then share their story of how they were going through chemotherapy and Project Open Hand provided meals for them when they needed it.
Most of all, Lisa says she has seen Project Open Hand grow and develop over the years to continue to serve the needs of our community. She shares how impressed she is by how we have continued to expand our client base. And in all that time, she says, Project Open Hand has always stayed true to its mission of providing meals with love to the people who need it most.
“Since 1993, I have watched Project Open Hand adapt to changing times and add new groups to your mission of providing nutritious meals to the sick and vulnerable,” says Lisa. “It is so impressive.”
Each year, Project Open Hand is supported by hundreds of volunteers who help us to provide meals with love to people who are suffering from critical illnesses. To learn more about volunteering opportunities for individuals, community or corporate groups, visit www.openhand.org/volunteer
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In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month in April, Project Open Hand is highlighting the volunteers who help us to provide meals with love. This article originally appeared in MealTimes 132.