California: Group Delivers Compassion

George Gregg has AIDS. And although he has been unable to continue working in his former job as a waiter for a little more than a year, he still wants to stay active and be productive. So he is volunteering at Concord, Calif.'s Diablo Valley AIDS Center, where he is also a client. Gregg spends eight hours a week filling up to 120 bags with groceries and other items to be delivered to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the county.

"This is a vital need," Gregg said. "There are so many people that can't get out of their homes. They can call in with what they need, and we bring it to them."

The nonprofit organization, founded in 1988, is the only agency that distributes food to people with HIV/AIDS and their families in Contra Costa County. About 15 volunteers sort, bag, and deliver food to about 250 people in different cities. Each volunteer driver has a regular route, serving up to 15 individuals and their families.

Volunteer coordinator Jen Gowers said she was motivated to work at the center because of her college experiences with people who were living with HIV. "It's really sad to me, the lack of education in our country," she said, explaining that people still believe they can get AIDS from touching others with the disease. "[Clients] are just people and they totally need to be loved."

Those who receive the deliveries appreciate the volunteers as much as they appreciate the food and supplies. "They're there for you, and you couldn't meet a nicer bunch of people," said a 53-year-old Pittsburg client who preferred to be identified as L.B. Diagnosed with AIDS in 1995, L.B. said he is not always able to shop for himself. "You have the good days and the bad days," he said. "Sometimes I can get up and move around, sometimes I can't."

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