The Manhattan kitchen of God's Love We Deliver is very busy leading up to Thanksgiving. Volunteers are making Thanksgiving feasts that include turkey, sweet potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce and of course, pumpkin pie.
God's Love We Deliver is getting ready to deliver more than 15,000 Thanksgiving meals to people who are too sick to cook or shop. These feasts have been in the planning stages for months.
"This is a very special meal and a very special time of year so we want to make sure that all the details are spot-on and this meal goes out perfectly and delicious and nutritious and everything that everyone expects from God's Love," said Andre Daquigan, the executive chef at God's Love We Deliver.
Founded in 1985 as a response to the AIDS pandemic, God's Love We Deliver prepares and delivers medically tailored meals to New Yorkers with life-altering illnesses. This year, God's Love We Deliver will cook and deliver a total of more than 4 million meals.
"There's lots and lots of research. I will give you one [statistic]. If you are on a medically tailored meal program you are 70% less likely to go to the emergency room than somebody that's not. So just think about that. And that kind of shows the power of this work and the power of nutrition and medically tailored meals," said David Ludwigson, the president and CEO of God's Love We Deliver.
Volunteers are a big part of the effort. More than 19,000 volunteers are lending a hand this year, including Pailo Heitz, who has been volunteering since 2019.
"It is very satisfying. It gives you purpose and makes you feel proactive. You are trying to do something to change our community — help our community," Heitz said.
To help make this all happen, God's Love We Deliver has its "Celebrate With a Plate" campaign. A $20 donation helps fund a holiday meal for a client and a guest.