Petrelis Files

In a message dated 5/24/2005 11:35:08 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, tnolan@openhand.org writes:


> Dear Mr. Petralis,
> Thank you for your recent email to which I'm happy to respond. Project Open Hand is proud that, in these uncertain times when so many organizations have had to cut back on services because of funding cuts, we have not had to reduce services to our clients. The quantity and quality of food, the availability of counselling and personal attention for our clients living with HIV/AIDS, the homebound critically ill and seniors, has not changed. We haven't cut back on services. No one has been put on a waiting list. We are constantly looking at new and creative ways to enhance the quality of our service. The consistent high level of our clients' satisfaction attests to this.
> Project Open Hand, while founded to provide "meals with love" for persons with AIDS expanded its mission six years ago to include serving seniors at congregate sites and later to serving anyone who is homebound and critically ill. Today we actually serve more meals to seniors in San Francisco and Alameda County than we do persons with HIV/AIDS.
> For an agency of our size, providing nutrition services to at risk communities, the salaries of our senior staff are comparable to other similar agencies. Our administrative costs have consistently been below 20% of overall expenses, a figure well within the guidelines for non-profit agencies. We do everything possible to ensure the most funds possible go directly into client services.
> In recent years, rather than cut services to our clients, I have laid off management staff so that the senior staff that is remaining are all doing more work, taking on multiple, additional responsibilities, which they do gladly, in order for Project Open Hand to continue its important mission in the community.Our current staffing is about 120 while three years ago is was around 145.
> I take complete responsibility for all administrative salaries and I am satisfied that they are fair and comparable to positions in other organizations of this size.
> In terms of my own salary, that is set by the Board of Directors at Project Open Hand and to arrive at the figure they agreed upon, they considered salaries of comparable organizations in the Bay Area and around the country. To address my salary directly, you would need to speak to the Board of Directors. .
> If you have any further concerns, please feel free to contact me.
>
> Sincerely,
> Tom Nolan
Dear Mr. Nolin:

Thanks for the rapid reply. Yes, I would like to speak with the board of directors of Project Open Hand about your excessive salary. How do I contact them?

Regards,
Michael Petrelis