DENVER — For those suffering from a severe illness, it's not always easy to leave the house. Costly medical bills can often make it a challenge to get affordable healthy meals. Denver based nonprofit, Project Angel Heart, delivers medically tailored, no-cost, meals right to people's doors.
On the day before Thanksgiving, most people are preparing for their own big meal, but at Project Angel Heart, every meal made there is for a neighbor in need.
"We were born out of the HIV epidemic when folks were really struggling with stigma and isolation and not getting the nutrition they needed. So, Racines donated a pan of lasagna. It was divided between 12 neighbors in need and Project Angel Heart was born," said Kate Johnston, Chief Operating Officer for Project Angel Heart. "Over the years, we've expanded our work to over 600 diagnoses. We serve meals to folks living with cancer, COPD, heart disease, dementia."
The need for nutrient dense, medically-tailored meals has only risen since the group's creation.
"We are now serving 2,000 Coloradans across the state," said Johnston.
Each week a team of dedicated volunteers deliver 15,000 meals across the state. The cooked meals nourish the client's bodies while the comfort and community from visiting volunteers nourish their soul.
"There are people occasionally who maybe don't have a lot of visitors. We are able to have the time to chat with them," said longtime volunteer Lauren Sternburg. "They're just always lovely people, and they're grateful so it's just a pleasure to do it."
The organization said the coronavirus pandemic really spotlighted the need for this type of service and they haven't seen that number go down since.
"We do, unfortunately, have a wait list for our services. The more volunteers and the more donations we can get, the more Coloradans we can serve," said Johnston.
Sternburg encourages anyone who has the time to come help the cause.
"It's really rare to find a volunteer opportunity where you immediately see the results of what you do," she said. "When we just delivered this food, you know the client is very grateful, and for the amount of time that is required, which really isn't very much, it's pretty much one morning a week."
To find out more about how to donate to or volunteer with Project Angel Heart, visit: www.projectangelheart.org.
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