COVID In Denver: Volunteers Fill Gaps For Coloradans With Serious Health Conditions

DENVER (CBS4) - Volunteers for Project Angel Heart deliver about a dozen meals each to people in need on Saturdays across the metro area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, clients for the nonprofit have become even more isolated as they take extra precautions for their life-threatening illnesses.

"We're out in the community, and we're able to give back to them," said Kimberly Gutierrez, a volunteer for Project Angel Heart. "They can't really leave their house or be out in public, so I think it's nice of us to take off that worry off of them."

Gutierrez joined Alycia Ibarra to deliver together on Saturday. They are part of a team that distribute meals to more than 1,300 people in Colorado each week.

"These meals are highly customized. They are specially designed to help improve people's health and well-being while they're dealing with the effects of a very serious illness," said Amy Daly, Director of Marketing and Communications for Project Angel Heart. "We provide meals for anyone that has a life-threatening health condition so that might be something like cancer, AIDS, kidney failure."

Started in 1991, the nonprofit has helped people during the AIDS epidemic, and they have continued that work well into the COVID-19 pandemic, making adjustments at their kitchen so staff and volunteers are safe and stop the potential spread to clients. Some volunteers have also changed their routine out of concern for the coronavirus.

"They're often very isolated and they're especially isolated because of the virus and because of their vulnerability to that illness," Daly said about their clients on a video conference call. "Often times people are not able to stand long enough to cook, they're not able to get to a grocery store so eating is a huge challenge."

In some cases, the clients are also struggling financially and must choose between their medication and food. The free meals provided by Project Angel Heart help them avoid missing meals for their prescriptions.

"They're making that choice, which nobody should have to make," Daly said. "So our meals are really providing a stress relief, as well as nourishing them physically during a very difficult time."

Operations changed this year because of COVID-19, volunteers who do work in their commercial kitchen wear masks and gloves, the number of people inside is also limited. The process now allows for no contact delivery. Volunteers drop off meals in front of a client's door without them ever coming within six feet.

"A lot of our clients, they are not leaving their homes and they haven't since March and imagine how tough that would be on many levels," Daly told CBS4 on Saturday. "It has been a huge challenge keeping all the wheels turning during COVID-19."

Volunteers not only cook and prepare the meals to be delivered, they also use their own cars and gas money to drive to clients' homes. They come from a variety of backgrounds including local police cadets who were working the same Saturday CBS4 followed along on some deliveries.

"Glad I am able to give back to my community, especially during times like this," said Ibarra. "I'm just glad that we're able to help and get the meals that they need."

As the nonprofit prepares to enter a new decade, it has remained a resource thanks to the ongoing support of the community. Cash donations, buying ingredients, and volunteer shifts all help the organization keep going ahead of its 30th anniversary. But in 2020, the pandemic has increased its cost to make sure it practices all necessary safety precautions.

"We don't know what tomorrow holds but we know there will always be people who are vulnerable for a variety of reasons who need nourishing food to eat, food that is tailored for their specific medical needs and we plan to be here to help those people," Daly said.

LINK: Project Angel Heart