Alex Nachman spent the last year and a half looking to expand how he helps those living with serious illnesses who have been homebound due to the pandemic.
Alex has participated in our annual Seattle AIDS Walk event for the past two decades and donates to support our vital health services, and recently signed up to deliver nutritious food and our quarterly home essential kits to neighbors in the greater Seattle area, but even so, he wanted to do more to give back.
“I used all the stimulus checks I got from the government and spent them on food and essential household items to donate to the organizations I support, including Lifelong, Farestart, and Jewish Family Services,” said Alex. “I didn’t need that money and I wanted to give it to those who did.”
Alex donated more than 280 pounds of nutritious groceries and enough hygiene products to fill 500 home essential kits, which include items like hand sanitizer, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap.
We first started providing home essential kits as part of a grant contract for those living with HIV, which was about half of our clients receiving groceries before COVID, but now that we have expanded our food and nutrition services to support so many more people with illnesses, we’ve relied on donated funds and supplies to provide these kits to all of our clients since 2019.
“There’s a huge funding gap for our home essential kits, which we deliver to clients on a quarterly basis, but we do it to make sure our clients are getting the resources they need to stay safe and healthy,” said Dave McKillip, Warehouse Manager for our food and nutrition program, Chicken Soup Brigade. “The people we serve are mostly homebound and have low or limited income, all the while facing serious illnesses and just trying to survive the pandemic.”
At the same time, the need for our services has dramatically increased. Over the last 18 months, our grocery program has grown by about 55% and our meal program by about 30%.
COVID has also continued to affect our supply chains, forcing the cost of food and other items to skyrocket, so these surprise donations from Alex have gone a long way to support our neighbors who rely on us for these basic necessities.
“I was grateful to find another way to give back besides making yearly donations,” said Alex. “ When I volunteer to deliver food and home essential kits to those who really need it, I can see the results immediately with how happy and relieved people are to receive these groceries.”
You can make a difference like Alex did by sponsoring a home essential kit today. Your support will help your neighbors facing illness and poverty with the items they need to stay safe and healthy during COVID.