We’re an organization created by family for all families.

Project Open Hands was born in 2022 as a direct response to the needs the Rampersaud family saw in their local community.

In the summer of 2020, we saw an alarming increase of families facing economic strife or grappling with homelessness in NYC. Too many of them had nothing but the clothes on their backs, no shoes, and hungry children who needed warm clothes as it got colder. We knew we had to help.

With the support of neighbors, family, and the power of social media, we were able to host our first clothing drive in our driveway in the Bronx. On that day alone we donated over 300 articles of clothing. With an empathetic approach to providing assistance, we decided to prepare and distribute foods that were native to the cultures of the families we were helping. All of our meals are prepared with fresh produce. All preparations are made in accordance to our licensing by the NYC Department of Health. So many families we speak to only have bread and water, many of them don’t have access to kitchens to cook the meals they grew up eating. Food is not only a basic necessity, but essential to comfort, which we all deserve.

Quickly, news had spread to other families in need of the assistance we provide. We have been fortunate to spread our reach to all NY based families facing food or financial insecurity

Since our conception, we have hosted many more clothing drives, providing aid to families in multiple homeless shelters in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Westchester. We have packaged and personally delivered clothing care packages to a multitude of individual families of varying economic backgrounds and status. We have prepared and distributed thousands of cultural hot meals across NYC. We’ve also shared toys, Christmas gifts, Eid feasts, strollers, feminine products, and more to assist the needs and desires of the families we meet.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the potential we have to uplift our community. Project Open Hands is committed to spreading love and support to all families regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, or status. The nostalgia, love, and appreciation these families share with us is invaluable and fuels us to continue our mission. We love learning about all our families’ cultures and traditions. Under the leadership of the organization’s three founding sisters (Parveen, Helena, and Kamela), Project Open Hands continues to provide targeted support to families who need it most. We hope to continue expanding our reach, projects, and impact to uplift families in need with empathy and care.