Project Angel Food started back in the height of the AIDS/HIV epidemic and centers on feeding and caring for those with life-threatening illnesses. Since then it has expanded in Los Angeles to include other groups of people in need of meals, especially select meals for control of diabetes and other special dietary needs.
I first tried out Project Angel Food in their kitchen, assembling meals in a conveyor line type of environment. I got to learn about the organization, what, why and how they do what they do. Caring for the less fortunate is important to me as is food insecurity, but I’m so much an assembly line kinda person. I did that for work decades ago and to be honest, I like the type of volunteering where you meet those being helped and can see a direct impact.
With that in mind, I explored their other options and found they need delivery drivers (as well as those who work in sorting all the prepared meals before delivery). Driving is something I really enjoy, even in LA. Perfect match! Plus they didn’t require a set schedule; just help when you can.
This year I’ve volunteered for more than 20 delivery routes, with each route being local to LA, like North Hollywood, Culver City, Hollywood and, well, West Hollywood. Each route has between 8-12 stops and takes 1.25-2.5 hours depending on logistics.
In aggregate, the charity delivers over 3000 meals a week to hundreds of clients (that’s 150,000 per year). These clients are often referred from other organizations and on my delivery sheet I often see 3-5 different community agencies listed.
My experience during deliveries is the clients often live in a variety of housing, from middle-class homes to rundown apartments. Having run these deliveries for decades, the charity has their routes well organized so that I just enter all the addresses in Apple Maps and then go one to the next, with the route always being the most efficient path.
Each client’s location has a variety of instructions and often requires a call before or during arrival to meet in a lobby or let me in a locked front door or just for general awareness that food is coming. I don’t like making cold calls in general and a side benefit for me has been breaking down that anxiety. I simply have to call random people, maybe 10 in a route, and figure out the logistics from what they tell me.
It’s not a hard challenge and I’m done by 11:30am at the latest. I’ve gotten to know different parts of the city, something I have enjoyed since moving to LA and I’ve started recognizing repeat clients.
For me volunteering for a charity works best when I can understand how my effort helps my community. That gives me warm fuzzies and while 100% true altruism is always a great thing, I’ll never get there. I feel best when I know what I’m doing helps and feeling good about what I’m doing is why I enjoy volunteering. I think most of us have a self-centered aspect of our altruism and I think that’s fine. I ain’t a saint, I want feedback.
Performing deliveries for Project Angel Food does that for me. While they do a good job of relating to kitchen and packing volunteers how their work positively impacts others, there’s nothing like handing a 20lb bag of a week’s worth of meals to a client.
I’ve noticed recently that a number of other drivers have paired up, making the logistics of navigating and calling and delivery easier. It seems like a good thing to do with a loved one or a friend and would be more efficient (I have to pull over to make calls and read instructions cus I know I’m a hazard if I’m trying to think hard and drive at the same time).
While not all of you readers out there are local to LA, I know there are plenty of these types of charities in every population the world over. Meals on Wheels is the most famous, but I guarantee you if you do a search for “Volunteer Meal Deliver Near Me” in Google, you will find plenty of options. If not, and you’re still interested, get a hold of me and I will be happy to find you a solution. Or maybe your community needs you to start one?
Happy Volunteering!!
Thanks for sharing.
You’re one of the angels on earth.