Earlier this month our team the opportunity to volunteer at Open Hand Atlanta. “Open Hand delivers freshly prepared, health-promoting meals designed to help prevent or manage diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, obesity and other chronic conditions.” Our shift helped measure and pack a little over 1000 meals in a little under three hours!

This was our first experience with the organization and we were very impressed. The staff at Open Hand Atlanta are a joy to work with, and the whole operation is extremely organized. We were impressed to learn that if there is a shortage of volunteers, the staff just works longer, even if that means through the night.

The work doesn’t stop there, the meals have to delivered. When we asked what was their greatest volunteer need, they replied “Drivers.”

Of Course our team thinks of taxes immediately … while you cannot deduct your time spent volunteering as a charitable donation, you can deduct a standard 14¢ per mile driven in the service of a charitable organization. Doing those things which benefit you and your community can also have a positive effect on your taxes! Seems like a win-win situation.

We highly recommend spending some time with Open Hand Atlanta and we look forward to working with them again soon.

You can find more information about their mission, services, and volunteer opportunities by visiting their website: https://openhandatlanta.org/