Everything You Need to Know about Project Angel Heart

Project Angel Heart was founded with the mission of providing nutritional meals to people with life-threatening illnesses. The organization has carried out groundbreaking research on the impact of nutrition on physical and mental well-being, and it has investigated how food can improve health. In this article, we examine Project Angel Heart’s mission to not only deliver food to people with serious conditions, but to bolster health outcomes for individuals from communities that are underserved.

Project Angel Heart was established in 1991.

The organization was founded to address challenges faced by Colorado residents with life-threatening conditions who may experience difficulty in obtaining access to nutritious food that will enable them to heal, grow stronger, and live independently in their own homes.

Many of these individuals have significant health problems that limit their ability to visit a grocery store or even cook for themselves. Others may find themselves in the difficult situation of having to choose between whether to buy food or medication if they lack sufficient funds to do both.

The organization delivers meals to people with life-threatening conditions.

Project Angel Heart aims to help people with debilitating illnesses to improve their health by providing them with food that is tailored to fit their dietary requirements. The meals, which are prepared from scratch by a registered dietitian and professional chefs, are customized to meet the complex medical needs of each client.

Project Angel Heart volunteers deliver meals in Denver and Colorado Springs.

In 2019, the organization delivered nearly half-a-million meals to 3,000 critically ill clients with cancer; heart/kidney/lung disease; and HIV/AIDS, as well as a range of other life-threatening illnesses.

Through Project Angel Heart, meals are delivered free of charge and are designed to provide optimal nutrition, health, and well-being for those most in need. The recipients of these meals report that they experience reduced stress, increased energy levels, and improved overall health. They are also better situated to afford medications and therapies, as well as to keep up with prescribed healthcare regimens that enable them to continue living independently in their own homes. Studies suggest that many of the clients of Project Angel Heart also benefit from reduced healthcare costs, as well as lower rates of hospital readmission.

Individuals with life-threatening illnesses should not have to worry about food.

People with cancer, heart disease, or AIDS/HIV should not need to worry about where their next meal will come from. Nevertheless, this is a sad reality for many people today.

Many individuals experiencing ill health find themselves with little to eat, whether it’s because they are unable to cook for themselves, or they simply do not have sufficient funds to make ends meet.

This is where Project Angel Heart steps in. The organization’s team prepares and delivers medically tailored meals for people living with serious illnesses. Every week, the team makes thousands of meals from scratch, tailoring them to the dietary and medical needs of each client.

Volunteers prepare and deliver nourishing, tasty meals to more than 1,200 clients of all ages on a weekly basis across Denver and Colorado Springs.

Project Angel Heart relies on an army of more than 8,000 volunteers.

From washing dishes and chopping vegetables to packaging and delivering meals, Project Angel Heart simply could not function without its dedicated team of volunteers.

In addition, due to the generous financial support of its patrons, this nonprofit organization meets the needs of thousands of individuals living with debilitating, life-threatening illnesses.

Project Angel Heart accepts online donations. Donors can make either a one-time gift or pledge a monthly amount. In addition to financial contributions, the organization benefits greatly from giving in other ways that include vehicle donations and fund-raisers on behalf of the organization.

Nutrition can have a significant impact in terms of health and well-being.

While good nutrition is important to everyone, it is particularly crucial for people with chronic, life-threatening conditions. Project Angel Heart’s chefs and dietitian tailor their menus to each client’s particular diagnosis, taking into account factors such as food texture needs, medications, and any allergies that they may have.

The organization provides meals via two programs. Through its core program, Project Angel Heart has delivered meals to more than 3,000 Coloradans throughout 2019, all of which were funded by the community and delivered free of charge. The organization also works with healthcare organizations to provide meals for patients.

Medically tailored meals can reduce medical costs for clients by up to 24%.

Individuals with diabetes, COPD, and chronic heart failure experience the greatest reduction in medical costs, with some clients reporting savings of up to $736 a month.

Moreover, through the use of data gathered by the Colorado All Payer Claims Database, experts have established that medically tailored meals significantly reduce patient readmission rates by up to 13 percent.

Since the average cost of hospital readmission is more than $13,400, this has significant potential for cost savings. Reducing readmissions alleviates the burden on caregivers; significantly improves the quality of life for patients; and eliminates the anxiety and stress associated with returning to hospital, enabling patients to return to their own homes.