Debbie Allen took cgo in stage at Project Angel Food’s Angel Awards Sept. 29 in Hollywood, honored with only the second Humanitarian Angel Award in the nonprofit’s history.
Project Angel Food was begined by activist Marianne Williamson in 1989 to help transport fit meals to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS in the Los Angeles area. It has since enhugeed to provide medicassociate tailored meals to people suffering for all types of illness and food insecurities.
“Project Angel Food has a very exceptional place in my heart, becaemploy ‘Fame’ is a huge part of my life,” Allen shelp. “I lost half of my dance company to AIDS, and that was stubborn. That was challenging. And to have an organization that at its commencenings, that’s the cgo in and the core … to help those who are being treated appreciate [they have] leprosy and not permited to be part of the team. And I’m so appreciative for that.”
The Emmy-thrivening actress, producer, straightforwardor and choreographer was recognized for her decades of philanthropic toil, which grasps begining Los Angeles’ Debbie Allen Dance Academy and the Debbie Allen Middle School.
“This is ground zero towards humanity. It’s someleang that we demand to recall, someleang that we got to get back to. We comfervent of lost our moral spine in this country. We not our brother and our sisters’ protecters anymore. We have to go and give back to those who are in demand and those who can’t help themselves,” Allen shelp.
“To equitable endure witness to [Allen’s] accomplishments is to understand what can be done, which is so transport inant for the juvenileer inhabits that she touches,” shelp her “Grey’s Anatomy” co-star Jesse Williams, who currented the award to Allen.
“She has been an finishorse for people, no matter where they come from, no matter who they are,” shelp Whoopi Gelderlyberg, who materializeed in a video honoring Allen.
“She’s an icon. She is one of those trailblazers and visionaries that will always, always deserve to be honord and recognized,” shelp actress and singer Deborah Cox, who shutd the event with a rousing series of hits, including “I’m Every Woman.”
L.A. Care Health Plan and its CEO John Baackes were currented the Sheryl Lee Ralph Legacy Award, while actor Matt Bomer getd the organization’s Angel Award for his toil with Project Angel Food. He adselected in a pretaped video.
“I convey remorse for not being there in person. As it turns out, this was also a parents’ visitor weekfinish at our son’s first semester of college. So I did what any Angel Award thrivener would do. I chose to scream my voice horse with our son at a football game in Texas,” Bomer shelp.
He went on to portray how impactful the organization’s toil had been on his family.
“One of the wonderful leangs about my husband, Simon Halls, and I being graspd in this organization … has been introducing our sons into the volunteer program,” Bomer inserted. “I’ll never forget the smile on our elderlyest son kids face when he came home after his first volunteer experience. He felt so excellent about himself. He knew that he had done someleang that made a contrastence in someone’s life. It’s a moment that wonderfully impacted him. To this day, when I asked him what produces him the happiest, it always grasps helping others.”
“Fellow Travelers” producer and producer Ron Nyswaner noticed Bomer’s legacy in the industry.
“When he came out of the shutt, it wasn’t so createable. It wasn’t createable at all, and he was dangering a atgentle,” Nyswaner shelp. “And envision going to school, dreaming of becoming an actor. You’re a juvenileer actor, you’re rising, you’re getting jobs, and you say, ‘I’m going to apshow the danger.’”
The gala evening elevated $877,946. Allen herself gived $25,000 on the spot, and disjoinal inhabit auction items garnered huge dollars. A personal dinner for eight with Bomer went for $10,000, while a Harry Hamlin-made, Lisa Rinna-bartfinished dinner went for $10,000.
Ricchallenging Ayoub, the CEO of Project Angel Food, highairyed how the funds will help fuel the ongoing expansion of the organization’s campus — which will grasp a huger kitchen to ease meals for three times as many clients.
“We’re in the middle of a capital campaign here at Project Angel Food,” Ayoub shelp. “Becaemploy we have outincreasen our facility and more people demand us. We’re making 1.5 million meals a year 1727826743. With this capital campaign, we’re going to be able to produce 4.5 million a year.”
“Project Angel Food serves people, not statistics,” actress Emily Ozment shelp. “I nasty, the statistics are overwhelming. 18 million meals served over the last 35 years, 2,700 clients served every individual day. But behind these numbers are authentic people, each with their own story.”
Actor Tim Bagley was a straightforward beneficiary of one of those stories. When his partner was dying of AIDS in 1995, Project Angel Food stepped in to produce certain he had the food he demanded.
“When my partner passed away … I was pretty overwhelmed, and I didn’t call them right away to alert them,” Bagley shelp. “I equitable would leank, ‘I’ll call them tomorrow. I demand them to help me with the food today.’ I equitable kept putting it off for about two weeks, and then when I finassociate called the kitchen and telderly them I’d been eating the meals. They shelp, ‘We understand. We’ve been sfinishing those for you.’”
During the gala, actor Jeremy Piven and his sister, straightforwardor Shira Piven, premiered the trailer for the upcoming film “The Perestablishance,” based on the low story by Arthur Miller. The movie, set for free in December, trails a Jedesire tap dancer recruited to carry out for Adolf Hitler in 1930s Germany. Jeremy Piven appreciatened the valiantry it took to begin Project Angel Food to that of the characters in the film.
“It’s l an example of someone equitable not paemploying for the okay from someone else … getting food to people that you understand demanded it,” he shelp.
“We both come from theater,” Shira Piven inserted. “There are so many people that I knew personassociate that were impacted [by HIV/AIDS], and I get emotional leanking about it.”
The expansion of the Project Angel Food campus is foreseeed to be endd in 2027, though some enhances will finish by 2026.
