Stories
Project Open Hand _ San Fransisco Pride
In June 2025, I had the honor of marching alongside—and photographing—the inspiring community of Project Open Hand during San Francisco Pride. Founded as an AIDS service provider, Project Open Hand has spent four decades championing the health and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community. This year marks their 40th anniversary—a milestone worth celebrating.
In 1985, a San Francisco grandmother and retired food-service worker named Ruth Brinker looked around at what were the early days of the AIDS epidemic. After seeing a close friend with AIDS suffer from malnutrition, Ruth knew what needed to be done – feed her neighbors.
She began by preparing meals in her kitchen for seven neighbors with AIDS. She brought meals to their homes, along with a friendly smile, an encouraging word, and a healthy dose of love. And with this, Ruth founded Project Open Hand.
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Ruth’s vision of meals with love is still alive and is the motivating force behind everything we do at Project Open Hand. We continue to serve people with HIV/AIDS, and have expanded to feed seniors and people fighting cancer, heart disease, diabetes and many other serious illnesses.
Among the many highlights of the day was Emmy-winning writer and star of the Netflix documentary Will & Harper, Harper Steele, who served as the Celebrity Grand Marshal of the 2025 San Francisco Pride Parade. Held on June 29th, the event welcomed an estimated one million attendees. With the powerful theme “Queer Joy is Resistance,” the day was a vibrant reminder of pride, resilience, and the enduring strength of chosen community.