It started as a family project through her church when Ann Fleckenstein heard about the needs of Open Hand Atlanta, the nonprofit that delivers meals to the metro area’s homebound ill and vulnerable. She signed up her group to pitch in.
“We worked in the kitchen, packing food or doing whatever was needed to get things ready to ship,” said the Grant Park resident. “It turned out to be a fun thing to do as a family.”
After retiring from teaching project management at Georgia Tech in 2021, Fleckenstein was casting around for a project and saw an online post that Open Hand was looking for drivers to take food to seniors, veterans or caregivers for sick family members.
“Since I’m retired, I can be flexible and go where they need me to go, and I can drive a few times a week,” she said. “Typically each week, they send out their needs, and when I sign up, there’s an app that tells me the addresses, the people I deliver to and any special instructions.”
Each journey starts with a visit to Open Hand’s headquarters on West Marietta Street where the boxes of frozen meals and baskets of fresh produce and staples are loaded into her car. The routes may vary for each session, as does the time it takes to make the deliveries. “It usually takes an hour and a half, but other days it may be up to three hours,” she said.
The time is often extended for what Fleckenstein sees as the best part of the task: meeting the people who receive the deliveries.
“I don’t always get to see the people, but then there are times when someone wants to chat,” she said. “I enjoy meeting them; they’re all really kind and sweet. Sometimes they try to tip me, and I say no. I had one gentleman in a walker who gave me two packs of marshmallows – that was adorable – or people will offer me water or a snack. I know they don’t have very much, and they are always so appreciative of getting the delivery.”
Along with the appreciation, Fleckenstein finds driving for Open Hand has other benefits for her, too.
“It’s such a feel-good thing and a positive way to have something to do,” she said. “This is a great way for me to be out and about. And it keeps me strong; those meal boxes are big and heavy!”
Open Hand Atlanta’s 21st Annual Party in the Kitchen fundraiser Sept. 26 will bring together 20 of Atlanta’s top chefs for an evening of food, drinks, auctions and music. Information is online at openhandatlanta.org.
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