PROJECT ANGEL FOOD
922 VINE ST, LOS ANGELES, CA 90038 www.angelfood.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: PROJECT ANGEL FOOD PREPARES AND DELIVERS HEALTHY MEALS TO FEED PEOPLE IMPACTED BY SERIOUS ILLNESS, BRINGING COMFORT AND HOPE EVERY DAY. THE ORGANIZATION COOKS AND DELIVERS ALMOST ONE MILLION NUTRITIOUS MEALS EACH YEAR, FREE OF CHARGE, TO THE HOMES OF MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN AFFECTED BY LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES. CREATED IN RESPONSE TO THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD EXPANDED ITS MISSION IN 2004 TO HELP NEIGHBORS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES OF HUNGER, ISOLATION AND THEIR CRITICAL ILLNESS. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD DELIVERS OVER 15,000 MEALS PER WEEK TO 2,913 PEOPLE FROM METRO, SOUTH AND EAST LA, TO POMONA, LA MIRADA AND LONG BEACH, AND TO THE REMOTE TOWNS OF ANTELOPE VALLEY. SINCE 1989, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD HAS SERVED OVER 13 MILLION MEALS TO MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE.

PROJECT ANGEL FOOD PREPARES AND DELIVERS HEALTHY MEALS TO FEED PEOPLE IMPACTED BY SERIOUS ILLNESS, BRINGING COMFORT AND HOPE EVERY DAY.

MEAL DELIVERY PROGRAM:DURING FISCAL YEAR 2020, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD PROVIDED 842,343 MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS, UP 24% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, TO THE HOMES OF 2913 UNDUPLICATED CHRONICALLY OR TERMINALLY ILL CLIENTS. DUE TO COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES, THE AGENCY SUSPENDED ITS ROBUST VOLUNTEER PROGRAM ON APRIL 1, AND HIRED 17 FORMERLY FURLOUGHED LOS ANGELES CHEFS AND KITCHEN GIG WORKERS. UP UNTIL THAT POINT, MORE THAN 3,597 VOLUNTEERS ASSISTED IN THE KITCHEN AND DONATED MORE THAN 33,600 HOURS TO PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S LIFESAVING CAUSE.THE 2913 PEOPLE PROJECT ANGEL FOOD SERVES REFLECT LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S DIVERSITY, AND GROWING POPULATIONS OF AGING AND FOOD INSECURE. CLIENTS RANGE FROM 16 TO 109. PEOPLE OF COLOR COMPRISE 76% OF PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CLIENTS (31% OF WHOM ARE LATINO, AND 29% OF WHOM ARE BLACK), 63% ARE OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE, 93% ARE CATEGORIZED BY HUD AS "VERY LOW INCOME." MOST COMMON ILLNESSES IN CLIENTS ARE:HIV/AIDS (28%), CANCER (15%), CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE (19%) KIDNEY FAILURE (12%). PROJECT ANGEL FOOD SERVED 20 CLIENTS QUARANTINED WITH COVID-19. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING MTM (MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS), PROJECT ANGEL FOOD PROVIDED CLIENTS WITH THREE WEEKS OF SHELF-STABLE MEALS, MASKS, AND OTHER COVID-19 ESSENTIALS INCLUDING HAND SANITIZER AND TOILET PAPER.OF THE OVER 2,000 PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CLIENTS, 78% LIVE AT OR BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL; 97% ARE CONSIDERED "VERY LOW INCOME" BY HUD STANDARDS. HOMEBOUND AND UNABLE TO STAND IN LINES AT FOOD BANKS, MANY PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CLIENTS LACK THE STRENGTH TO SHOP AND COOK FOR THEMSELVES, WHICH PLACES THEM AT GREATER RISK FOR MALNOURISHMENT. FOR MANY, THEIR SOLE SOURCE OF REVENUE IS MONTHLY PAYMENTS FROM THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM, WHICH MUST COVER ALL THEIR EXPENSES INCLUDING RENT. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S GOALS ARE: TO SERVE ALL CRITICALLY ILL PEOPLE IN NEED WITHIN THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SERVICE AREA. ALLEVIATE MALNUTRITION AND STARVATION THROUGH ITS MEDICALLY TAILORED MEAL PROGRAM PROVIDE NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING TO ALL CLIENTS ENROLLED IN PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S SERVICE.NEW CLIENTS RECEIVE ONE-ON-ONE NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING FROM PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S REGISTERED DIETITIANS, WHILE CONTINUING CLIENTS RECEIVE COUNSELING ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS. THE PRIMARY CONCERNS ADDRESSED IN THESE SESSIONS INCLUDE THE CLIENT'S ABILITY TO ACHIEVE AND/OR MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT, ATTEND MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, ADHERE TO PRESCRIPTION DRUG REGIMENS AND COPE WITH SIDE-EFFECTS OF THOSE MEDICATIONS. CLIENTS ARE ADVISED ON WAYS TO COUNTER LOSS OF APPETITE DUE TO NAUSEA, MOUTH SORES AND/OR TROUBLE SWALLOWING. MEAL PLANS ARE REVISED WHEN INGREDIENTS CAUSE DIGESTIVE ISSUES OR HAVE TASTES AND TEXTURES THAT TREATMENT HAS RENDERED UNPALATABLE. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S REGISTERED DIETITIANS ASSESS THE FREQUENCY OF NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING FOR THE CLIENT USING THE ASPEN CLINICAL CRITERIA FOR MALNUTRITION (WHITE JV ET AL. JPEN 2012; 36:275): MALNUTRITION ID GUIDE. THE DIETITIAN ALSO DETERMINES THE CLIENT'S PRIORITY LEVEL, ASSIGNING A PRIORITY LEVEL OF 1 TO 4 BASED ON THE SEVERITY OF THE MEDICAL CONDITION AND FOOD SECURITY, AND INFORMS THE CLIENT WHEN THE NEXT NUTRITION FOLLOW UP WILL TAKE PLACE. PRIORITY 1 CLIENTS WILL REQUIRE A FOLLOW UP WITHIN 3 MONTHS, WHILE PRIORITY 4 CLIENTS ARE MORE STABLE AND MAY NOT REQUIRE A FOLLOW UP FOR AS LONG AS ONE YEAR. AFTER THE SESSION, THE DIETITIAN WILL POPULATE MEAL ORDERS THAT FIT THE CHOSEN SPECIAL DIET CATEGORY, TAKING CARE TO TROUBLESHOOT ANY ISSUES WITH FOOD ALLERGENS.ALL CLIENTS UNDERGO ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS TO DETERMINE CONTINUATION OF SERVICES. THESE ASSESSMENTS ARE MADE BY THE PROJECT ANGEL FOOD REGISTERED DIETITIAN IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CLIENT'S CASE MANAGER. EVERY YEAR PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CONDUCTS CLIENT FEEDBACK SURVEYS AS PART OF ITS PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY. DRIVERS DELIVER THE SURVEYS WITH PROJECT ANGEL FOOD MEALS; THE SURVEYS ARE ENCLOSED WITH A SELF-ADDRESSED BUSINESS REPLY ENVELOPE WITH A DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION AND ROOM FOR COMMENTS/FEEDBACK. THE ANNUAL FEEDBACK SURVEY DEMONSTRATES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDICALLY TAILORED DIETS ON CLIENT RECOVERY. BASED ON PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S MOST RECENT SURVEY: 97.2% OF CLIENTS WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN TAKING THEIR MEDICATIONS;97.8% OF CLIENTS FEEL THEIR HEALTH HAS IMPROVED;97.4% OF CLIENTS REPORTED REDUCED FOOD INSECURITY STRESS; AND95.9% REPORTED PROJECT ANGEL FOOD HELPED THEM MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT.FOR TRACKING AND MONITORING THE DELIVERY OF MEALS, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S NUTRITION SERVICES DEPARTMENT CREATES MEAL ORDERS FOR CLIENTS BASED ON THEIR MEDICAL NEEDS. MEAL ORDERS ARE THEN FULFILLED BY PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S KITCHEN STAFF. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S DISPATCH DEPARTMENT PACKAGES MEALS ACCORDING TO ROUTES AND CREATE ROUTE SHEETS MATCHING SPECIFIC MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS TO CLIENT ADDRESSES. ROUTE SHEETS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO BOTH THE NUTRITION SERVICES AND CLIENT SERVICES DEPARTMENTS AND SERVE AS A RECORD OF THE NUMBER OF MEALS DELIVERED EACH DAY, WITH PROJECT ANGEL FOOD DRIVERS VERIFYING THE DELIVERY.PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CLIENTS REQUIRE NUTRITIONAL OVERSIGHT AND MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS FOR THEIR RECOVERY--SERVICES THAT ARE UNAVAILABLE AT MOST FOR-PROFIT HOME-DELIVERED MEAL PROGRAMS, OR FROM ORGANIZATIONS LIKE MEALS ON WHEELS, THAT SERVE ONLY SENIORS AND SUGGEST DONATIONS FOR THE SERVICE. WITH MOST CLIENTS ON THE BRINK OF HOMELESSNESS, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD SERVES AS THE ONLY CONSISTENT FOOD SOURCE FOR NEARLY 60% OF ITS CLIENTS. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD MEALS RELIEVE CLIENTS FROM FOOD-RELATED DISTRESS AND HELP THEM INSTEAD TO FOCUS ON MANAGING THEIR HEALTH. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S WEEKLY MEAL DELIVERIES PROVIDE SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS TO CLIENTS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE 61% OF CLIENTS WHO LIVE ALONE. THIS DIRECT CONNECTION IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AMONGST OLDER ADULTS WITH MORE THAN ONE SOCIAL INTEGRATION RISK INDICATOR (E.G., LIVING ALONE, LACK OF SOCIAL NETWORK, RETIREMENT, PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT, MENTAL ILLNESS) AND HELPS TO PREVENT PREMATURE MORTALITY. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CLIENTS VALUE PROJECT ANGEL FOOD DRIVERS AND LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR WEEKLY VISITS. THESE VISITS LIFT THE CLIENTS' SPIRITS AND REMIND THEM THAT THEY ARE LOVED.AS A RESULT OF STATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HIGHEST QUALITY CONTROL ASSURANCE OF MEALS, IN 2018 PROJECT ANGEL FOOD BEGAN REFRIGERATING ITS DELIVERY VANS. IN APRIL 2018, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD, ALONG WITH FIVE OTHER SISTER AGENCIES IN THE CALIFORNIA FOOD IS MEDICINE COALITION, RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO IMPLEMENT A THREE-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM THAT WOULD REDUCE HEALTHCARE COSTS AND IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR 1,000 HIGH MEDI-CAL UTILIZERS. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S DIRECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS AND INTENSIVE MEDICAL NUTRITION INTERVENTION TO 170 MEDI-CAL BENEFICIARIES WITH CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE PER YEAR FOR THREE YEARS. THIS PILOT IS GROUNDBREAKING, AS IT IS THE FIRST STATEWIDE PILOT IN THE UNITED STATES DESIGNED TO PROVE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS REDUCING HEALTH CARE COSTS FOR INPATIENT HOSPITALIZATIONS, HOSPITAL READMISSIONS AND EMERGENCY ROOM DEPARTMENT VISITS. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD PARTNERS WITH OVER 200 HEALTH CARE, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE ITS MEDICALLY TAILORED MEAL DELIVERY AND NUTRITIONAL SERVICES FOR CRITICALLY ILL CLIENTS. UNDER THE CARE OF REGISTERED DIETITIANS, AND IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CLIENT'S PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CASE MANAGER, EACH CLIENT RECEIVES ONE-ON-ONE NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING AND A SPECIALIZED MENU THAT IS UNIQUE TO THEIR DIAGNOSIS AND ALIGNED WITH THEIR PERSONAL DIETARY RESTRICTIONS AND PREFERENCES. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CLIENT'S CASE MANAGER, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S REGISTERED DIETITIANS USE LAB TESTS AND CLIENT APPLICATIONS TO PRESCRIBE CLIENTS TO ONE OF PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S THIRTY-NINE MEAL PLAN OPTIONS. THIS PROCESS BEGINS WITH AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT UPON ENROLLMENT, FOLLOWED BY ROUTINE CHECK-INS TO MONITOR PROGRESS AND REVISE MEDICALLY TAILORED MEAL PLANS BASED ON CLIENT MALNUTRITION LEVELS.MEALS ARE PREPARED DAILY BY PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CHEFS, ALL OF WHOM ARE CREDENTIALED PROFESSIONAL FOOD MANAGERS. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CHEFS ARE ASSISTED BY VOLUNTEERS THAT DRIVE 80% OF PROJECT ANGEL FOOD'S KITCHEN OPERATIONS. DISHES ARE FLAVORFUL AND AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, MADE WITH HIGH-QUALITY INGREDIENTS SELECTED BY PROJECT ANGEL FOOD DIETITIANS. MEALS INCLUDE LOW-FAT PROTEINS TO PRESERVE LEAN BODY MASS, PROTEIN-RICH LEGUMES TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL AND ASSIST IN BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION, AND ANTIOXIDANT-RICH VEGETABLES.STRIVING TO BE AS RESPECTFUL AND UNOBTRUSIVE AS POSSIBLE, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD DRIVERS DELIVER SEVEN DAYS' WORTH OF MEALS WITHIN A 4-HOUR WINDOW AND MAY BE THE ONLY HUMAN CONTACT CLIENTS HAVE THAT DAY OR WEEK. THIS HUMAN INTERACTION IS VERY MEANINGFUL, AS MORE THAN HALF OF PROJECT ANGEL FOOD CLIENTS LIVE ALONE.

PROJECT ANGEL FOOD IS INVOLVED IN HUNGER, HIV, MALNUTRITION, AGING, AND "FOOD IS MEDICINE" ADVOCACY CAUSES. PROJECT ANGEL FOOD IS INVOLVED WITH 200 HEALTHCARE, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. SINCE 2018, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD HAS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE CALIFORNIA FOOD IS MEDICINE COALITION'S CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE (CHF) PROGRAM WITH MEDICALLY TAILORED MEALS (MTM) AND MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, PROJECT ANGEL FOOD DELIVERED 24,298 MEALS TO 161 MEDI-CAL PATIENTS WITH CHF THIS YEAR.

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