Hello, and thank you for visiting my AIDS Walk Atlanta and 5K Run & Music Festival webpage! I'm raising money with Open Hand Atlanta. 

Open Hand Atlanta is the only provider of home-delivered, medically-tailored meals for medically vulnerable people living with symptomatic HIV/AIDS in metropolitan Atlanta. This year Open Hand Atlanta will spend more than $2 million dollars to support the HIV/AIDS community. Since our inception more than 30-years ago, we have provided medically-tailored meals to individuals and families whose HIV/AIDS-related illness(es)/disability(ies) have restricted their ability to work and earn income. By providing these meals, Open Hand Atlanta decreases the risk that those living with HIV/AIDS will become homeless. We remove the stress and burden of paying for nutritious foods, allowing clients to use the remainder of their limited income on other life essentials.

Though we’re sorry we can’t walk with you all in person this year, we’re thrilled to be given the opportunity by AID Atlanta and AHF to have a season of virtual fundraising in its place. As we reflect on the 30 years of impact that the AIDS Walk has had in helping people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in metro Atlanta, we ask ourselves #WhyWeWalk. 

We walk because the metro Atlanta area ranks #1 in the state with new rates of HIV diagnosis, and Georgia ranks in the top 5 states nationally. 

We walk to support our mission to provide life-saving, medically-tailored meals to People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) across metro Atlanta. In 2019, Open Hand served more than 314,678 units of meals, including over 180,000 medically-tailored meals; 45,300 nutritional supplements such as Glucerna or Ensure; and 2,600 meal replacement snacks, available to patients experiencing extended waits at local clinics. 

We walk so our Registered Dietitians can provide Medical Nutrition Therapy to HIV/AIDS patients at clinics and community-based organizations that serve PLWHA across metro Atlanta. In 2019, Open Hand conducted more than 309 hours of Medical Nutrition Therapy to PLWHA. 

We walk to better address gaps in services experienced by PLWHA. Our Client Advisory Board of PLWHA helps us improve services as well as identify service gaps. 

We walk because our mission is not complete until not one person is suffering from or dealing with nutrition-related complications from HIV/AIDS in our Atlanta communities.