Project Angel Food is issuing an urgent plea for volunteers and donations in response to the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19.

Project Angel Food has recently had 18 volunteer groups cancel, three fundraisers postponed indefinitely and is experiencing an increased demand for meals.

Every week, Project Angel Food cooks, prepares and delivers 15,000 meals for 1,600 clients living with critical illnesses. More than 62% of those clients are 60 and older and have compromised immune systems which place them at greater risk. Because of this at-risk client base, the organization has always been hyper vigilant but is now ramping up its already stringent food safety measures. 

Six days a week, 80% of the Vine Street kitchen workforce is comprised of volunteers. The recent cancelations represent 200 people and 800 hours of labor lost. As a result, the organization is asking Angelenos who are healthy to step up and help it continue service uninterrupted. Interested individuals are being asked to email volunteers@angelfood.org, or call (323)845-1832.

At a time when volunteerism is down, the charity is also having to look to other sources for the funds that would have been raised through postponed events. The organization is also actively working to raise an additional $150,000 to guarantee all of its clients will receive three weeks of extra meals, including medically-tailored frozen meals and shelf-stable foods such as ready-to-eat meals, canned tuna and chicken noodle soup.

“Project Angel Food’s response to COVID-19 is proactive and focused on ensuring that our clients not only get the meals they need today, but have emergency meals on hand should we not be able to reach them,” Project Angel Food Executive Director Richard Ayoub said. “Our organization has been serving the chronically ill for 30 years, since the AIDS crisis, so we are well-equipped to handle today’s healthcare emergency.”

The organization is accepting donations in any amount at angelfood.org/covid19.