A nonprofit that provides free, “medically tailored” meals to people living with severe illnesses will soon be serving communities in Northern Colorado.
For the past 15 years, Project Angel Heart has been operating in Denver and Colorado Springs. After receiving a $580,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente, the organization is expanding its services to Weld, Boulder, Douglas, El Paso and Pueblo counties in February.
Meals are provided to anyone who needs better nutrition and has health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, autoimmune diseases and other chronic illnesses. As long as the medical provider says that the person is in need of better nutrition, they qualify for free meals. Project Angel Heart doesn’t limit service, but will check in with recipients every six months to make sure that they still need the program.
Nutrition is “key to having a well-being,” said Owen Ryan, president and CEO at Project Angel Heart. “It's almost like when your doctor tells you that you need a prescription, we are the ones who fill that prescription.”
All meals are designed by an executive chef and registered dietitian nutritionist and made from scratch in their Denver kitchen.
“Every week we serve more than 10,000 meals to over 1,400 people across the state,” said Ryan. “This year, we’re looking to serve over 620,000 meals to over 4,000 people.”
With the expansion, there will be a need for volunteer delivery drivers in Weld County. More information for volunteers and other ways to contribute can be found at projectangelheart.org. Application forms for receiving meals are also available online in English and Spanish.
