Coronavirus – What Project Angel Heart is Doing

At Project Angel Heart, our mission is to improve health and well-being for the people who receive our meals. And because our focus is on health, we’re closely monitoring developments related to coronavirus in Colorado.  

Our clients, all of whom are already facing life-threatening health conditions, are among the most vulnerable people in our state, so we are taking extra precautions to keep them, our volunteers, and our staff safe and healthy. We are closely monitoring guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and we are taking actions to limit the risk of the virus affecting anyone associated with our program.  

Emergency meals – Thanks to strong community support, we delivered a two-week supply of shelf-stable, emergency meals. These additional, nutritious meals will ensure that clients have food to eat in the event that we must cancel or delay a weekly meal delivery.

Limited people in our buildings – To minimize our risk of exposure to COVID-19, we’ve significantly reduced the number of volunteers in our buildings. Meal delivery drivers now pick up meals outside of our building. Visitors to our Denver office may use the intercom at the door to announce themselves, and a staff member will greet them at the door. Visitors to our Colorado Springs office should call our staff in advance at 719.323.0084.

Strict health and safety measure in place – We are diligent about following strict health and safety measures in our kitchen as part of our normal practices. These include frequent handwashing, food prep safety protocol, and requiring anyone who is sick to avoid working in our kitchen. We’ll continue to adhere to these practices, while increasing the frequency with which we wipe down surfaces and requiring additional handwashing and sanitizing. Additionally, we now require the use of masks in public areas of our buildings at all times and require volunteer meal delivery drivers to use masks, as well.

Meal deliveries – We’ve introduced a “100% contact-less deliveries” rule for delivery drivers. We are supporting clients with ambulatory issues by having staff members deliver their meals following strict protocols. Meal delivery drivers are now using gloves during deliveries, as well.

Status on volunteer needs – While many volunteers have needed to cancel their shifts, many others have stepped up with offers to help. Please check our individual volunteer needs page for updates on where volunteers are needed.

Produce donations – It’s gardening season and many of you are busy planting your gardens right now! Unfortunately, we are currently not able to accept donations of fresh produce from home gardeners. We will update this page when we feel it is safe to begin accepting produce donations once again.

Meal bag decorating – We have begun checking out and accepting decorated meal bags once again. We offer a contact-less bag pickup and drop-off process at our office in Denver and Colorado Springs. For more information on bag decorating guideslines and/or how to pick up or drop off decorated bags in Denver or Colorado Springs, visit our individual volunteer opportunities page.

Recommit to everyday preventive actions – We ask everyone involved with our program to recommit to the following precautions, which are already an important element of health and safety in our program. These are the same precautions we all should take to avoid catching the flu or the common cold, and now is a good time to be extra vigilant.

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (about the amount of time it takes to hum the happy birthday song from beginning to end, TWICE), especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. (Please note that hand washing is still more effective than hand sanitizer!)
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces at home and work using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. And thanks again for your continued support and for doing your part to ensure that we can continue getting meals out safely to the people who depend on them.