Good Measure Meals began in 2003 when Atlanta restaurateur Tom Murphy envisioned a new business that would provide healthy, affordable, home-delivered meals as an alternative to fast food. Today, the meal plans are suited for those who want to achieve weight loss, manage chronic health conditions or just eat in a healthy way—without all the time required to plan, shop and cook.

And, because it was established as a social enterprise of Atlanta nonprofit Open Hand, Good Measure Meals returns 100 percent of its proceeds to support the charitable mission of the organization, which provides healthy meals to homebound seniors, dependent children and persons with chronic or terminal illnesses.

“A social enterprise’s purpose is to be a revenue generator for a nonprofit, an outlet for expanding the mission of the nonprofit and to contribute to an improved community,” explains Judi Butin, vice president of business development for Good Measure Meals. “We are actually all one company. Good Measure Meals is an important program of Open Hand that enables the organization to extend its mission across the full socio-economic spectrum.”

Open Hand, which began in a church kitchen in the 1980s, is a seven-day-a-week operation supported by 25,000 volunteers, who pack and deliver meals to qualified clients, Butin said. Today, it is considered the largest nonprofit provider of home-delivered meals and nutrition education in the United States, preparing and delivering 5,000 meals per day to thousands of clients in metro Atlanta whose health complications have impaired their ability to prepare meals for themselves. “Open Hand will be delivering our 20 millionth meal later this year,” she said.

While Open Hand’s menu is available to those who cannot afford to pay, Good Measure Meals’ menus are designed for the paying public seeking convenient access to healthy meals. Meals average less than $7 each, with customers choosing menu type and calorie level.

Menus for Open Hand and Good Measure Meals are developed by culinary experts along with registered dietitians and are prepared in the organization’s Midtown kitchen. Though Open Hand delivers meals directly to clients’ homes, Good Measure Meals distributes its meals through 84 different pick-up locations throughout metro Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville.

Good Measure Meals continues to grow, Butin said, through word-of-mouth and its sponsorship of television programs such as “Atlanta’s Biggest Loser” and the “WellStar Weight Loss Challenge.”

“Clients say they get great results,” she said. “They lose weight, which can help in the management of certain illnesses related to obesity.”

In addition to the acknowledged health benefits, Butin said clients also say they have chosen Good Measure Meals over other meal plan providers because they know their purchases support a nonprofit. “By the end of the year, Good Measure Meals will have generated $16 million in revenue, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Open Hand,” she said.

For information on Good Measure Meals, visit goodmeasuremeals.com. For information on Open Hand, visit projectopenhand.org.