Why We  Serve 

Open Heart Kitchen began its Street Outreach Program in 2017 when two team members, Gary and Steve, who worked together in the Hot Meal Program wanted to find a way to better connect with and support clients they served who were experiencing homelessness. With the knowledge that some people experiencing homelessness can't reliably get to a lunch service location, these two team members decided to start an outreach program to bring our meals into local encampments. Initially dubbed the "Pilot Program", Gary and Steve went out one afternoon a week in an unmarked company vehicle to find and serve unhoused community members a hot packaged meal and a "breakfast bag" of shelf stable snacks for the following morning. Their weekly service route grew over time as they were introduced to more individuals and encampments. When COVID-19 hit and our Hot Meal Program services were forced to consolidate into a single site we knew that unhoused community members needed additional nutrition support to allow them to shelter in place. The Street Outreach Program was temporarily expanded to 6 days of service weekly during the peak of the need when our team was serving a high of 110 meals daily. Meals were being distributed in encampments, but also to the hotel rooms of those who were participating in emergency shelter programs. OHK has connections to other service providers to ensure that our clients are connected to other resources available from CityServe, Tri-Valley Haven, Axis Community Health, and more.