My initial experience with Project Angel Heart was beyond a doubt one of the most defining experiences of my life. From delivering food to people that are blind to people that very obviously have life inhibiting illness, I knew that I was performing a civic good. Project Angel Heart is unlike any organization that I have volunteered for in the past. Form the training to the actual delivery of the food, you feel as though you are part of the experience, part of the people’s lives that you are helping.
From the moment that you walk through the prep kitchen and into the training room, people with big hearts and loving souls surround you. When Russ walked in, the first thing that came to my mind was that he is a larger-than-life teddy bear. His personality appeared to be affectionate and his love for his job was contagious. During his speech he informed us about what Project Angel Heart does, how to deliver the food, and the policies that we needed to follow while performing the deliveries. The most profound thing that I remember him talking about had to do with the directions to the client’s homes. Aside from just containing instructions on where to deliver the food, the paper also had tips for what to do when we got to the house. Some of the tips read, “knock then wait for a little while.” I thought this was so unique because it really showed the type of relationship and care that Project Angel Heart establishes with its clients. Once we finished our training session we went back into the kitchen to receive the bags of food that we were to deliver. It was fascinating to watch the kitchen staff pack the bags of food and organize them by the delivery route. It was like a highly synchronized orchestra in terms of their systemization and effectiveness.
Once we received the food we preceded to the car to begin the deliveries. The delivery of the food to the “clients” was absolutely the most interesting experience of Project Angel Heart. The first delivery that we made was to a man who lived in apartments east of Colorado Boulevard. We had a lot of trouble finding his apartment within the complex, but nonetheless, we were eventually able to find him and deliver the food. The first delivery was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. I did not know what to expect when the man opened the door, I was unsure of what to say, and how to hand him the food. When he opened the door, all of my preconceptions and stereotypes of the types of people that Project Angel Heart helped were quickly replaced. Aside from walking slowly, the man that we delivered to appeared to be like anyone else. He was engaging in conversation, lively, thankful, and just had a pleasant demeanor. Contrary to what I initially believed, people with HIV, AIDS, and other life threatening illness are just like everyone else.
Our next delivery was to a man that lived in another apartment complex. This delivery contributed to my preconceived stereotype of the types of people that Project Angel Heart helps. The apartment complex that we delivered to was worn down, smelled musty and like fresh paint, and was located in a less developed part of Denver. When we got the man’s doors his neighbor told us that he was not home right now. Following procedures, we called Project Angel Heart to inform them so they could follow up to insure that he got his food. His neighbor insisted on taking the bag of food to hold on to until he returned home. At this point, all that I could think about was the possibility of his neighbor taking the food and not actually giving it to who we were tying to deliver it to. With this fear in mind, we had no other choice than just to leave the food outside the man’s door.
The next delivery stop of significance was to a lady that lived in a small lower income community. The homes were nothing more than tiny square structures placed on cement foundations. They were so small that I was astounded to see that one person with all of their worldly belongings was able to live in such a small space. What made this delivery the most interesting aside from the homes, was the fact that when I approached the house, the lady that we were delivering to had just woken up from a nap and was shirtless. A complete stranger, a lady that I had never met exposed herself to me. I was terrified! The training session at Project Angel Heart does not train you to handle with this type of situation! After this whole debacle simmered down, I approached the door to give the lady her groceries. She obviously had a serious illness because she had no hair on her head and her scalp was different colors. Aside from this, she appeared to be able to get around decently and was extremely friendly. She was so gracious of what we were doing that she inspired my heart and touched my soul with her praise and thanks.
After we finished all of our deliveries I returned to the dorm and reflected on my experiences with Project Angle Heart and my encounters with the type of people that I helped. After my initial service learning experience with Project Angel Heart, so many of my preconceived stereotypes of people with illness had been reshaped. I came to understand and realize that people with life threatening illness are in no way different from anyone else, aside from the obvious effects of their illness. All of the people that we delivered to communicated and interacted with us absolutely normally. From this experience, I also felt as though my understanding of civic involvement was redefined. I used to think that civic involvement was just doing the petty activities of an organization that no one else wanted to perform. This however is not the case with Project Angel Heart. At Project Angle Heart the volunteers are totally immersed into the organization and perform an integral part of its operations. Without the volunteers, Project Angel Heart would not exist. As a volunteer it is a good feeling to know that so much rests on your shoulders and depends on your commitment.
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