How to Get Involved with Project Angel Heart
Project Angel Heart is a nonprofit organization that prepares and delivers healthy and nutritious meals to people living with serious and life-threatening illnesses. It was founded in 1991 and has locations in Denver and Colorado Springs.
Project Angel Heart uses professional chefs and experienced dieticians to tailor specific meals based on individual dietary and medical requirements. These meals are then packaged and delivered by volunteers to people living with a variety of serious conditions, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, lung, kidney, and liver diseases, and many other illnesses.
Project Angel Heart meals provide essential nutritious meals that improve health and reduce healthcare costs and hospital readmissions. It also lifts financial burdens on individuals who might otherwise have to choose between food and medication.
The entire service is free of charge for those receiving the meals. Project Angel Heart is funded by individual and corporate donors, public funds, and healthcare providers. In 2019, the organization estimates that it delivered 500,000 meals to 3,000 people with critical illnesses in Denver and Colorado Springs.
Contributing to Project Angel Heart
There are many ways for the residents of Colorado and people who live elsewhere to contribute to the efforts of by Project Angel Heart. Here are a few:
1. Individual Volunteering
Volunteers are fundamental to Project Angel Heart. Approximately 9,000 people give their time, skills and dedication to the organization, driving more than 80,000 miles every year delivering meals using their own cars and fuel.
For those unable to serve as a delivery driver, other volunteer opportunities include kitchen assistant—where volunteers work for professional chefs in preparing meals and keeping the kitchens clean—and satellite coordinator, whose role is to manage meal deliveries.
Distribution assistants are responsible for packing and organizing meals and ensuring the right meals are in the right bags for the right clients. Office assistants lend their time to providing help in the Project Angel Heart offices.
Other volunteer roles include garden assistants. They work with the lead gardeners to help grow, harvest, and wash produce to be used in the Project Angel Heart meals. There are also community outreach positions. These volunteers assist at events, give presentations, and raise awareness. For the artistic volunteer, bag decorators are always welcome to add their creativity to the meal bags.
All of the volunteer roles require a minimum six-month commitment. Those who have more inconsistent schedules can contact Project Angel Heart to see how they can volunteer at special events.
2. Group Volunteering
Project Angel Heart has a number of ways groups and corporations can get involved with the organization’s efforts. Some of these opportunities are ongoing, while others are one-off events. Some of the ongoing, anytime projects tailored to groups include decorating meal bags and hosting a Healthy Breakfast Cereal Drive initiative, whereby groups can collect and deliver cereal to clients.
A major event groups can participate in is the Dining Out for Life Program. It encourages groups and companies to dine out at participating restaurants which have pledged to donate 25 percent of all proceeds on that day to Project Angel Heart. Groups interested in participating can register their interest with Project Angel Heart, which will send over all the materials to help with promotion to encourage more people to get involved.
Another corporate initiative is Sponsor a Meal. On the day a group or company is volunteering, they have the option to sponsor the meals they are delivering on that day. To sweeten the deal, Seattle Fish Co. will match all Sponsor a Meal donations up to $20,000 throughout 2020.
3. Participating in Grow a Row
For people with green fingers and the interest and ability to grow their own vegetables, Project Angel Heart accepts good-quality, freshly-grown produce. The organization accepts carrots, tomatoes, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, and squash.
All donated vegetables that have been grown in a patch must be free of pesticides, manure and kept away from pests; cleaned, washed with potable water, and free of soil and bugs; and freshly picked. Project Angel Heart also accepts purchased vegetables as long as they meet the same guidelines.
4. Donating
Monetary donations can be made to Project Angel Heart in a variety of methods. One-off or monthly donations can be made directly through the website, while there are five different Giving Clubs to join.
The Bread & Butter Club is eligible for anyone donating a minimum of $30 per month; the Red Apron Circle for donations of $1,000-$2,4999 per year; Chef’s Circle for donations of $2,500-$9,999 per year; Executive Chef’s Circle for those who donate $10,000+ per year; and the Legacy Circle for those who put Project Angel Heart in their estate plans.
Other ways to donate include Sponsor A Meal, hosting fundraising events, or donating personal possessions such as cars.
