Blade
Project Angel Food raises more than $800,000, breaking Elizabeth Taylor record
by Karen Ocamb
September 17, 2019
Maybe it was because the niche non-profit celebrated its 30th anniversary by giving LGBTQ icon Jamie Lee Curtis a richly deserved humanitarian award. Or maybe people are just so dispirited by the pervasive politics of hate, they wanted to contribute to a heartfelt cause that actually helps people. Whatever the motivation, Project Angel Food raised more than $800,000 at its 30th Anniversary Angel Awards Gala in Hollywood on Saturday, Sept. 14, breaking the previous 1999 Angel Awards fundraising record of $700,000 when Elizabeth Taylor was honored.
Curtis received the Project Angel Food Humanitarian Angel Award with Jami Morse Heidegger and Klaus Heidegger, philanthropists and creators of skincare products Retrouve and Kiehl’s Since 1851, honored with the Project Angel Food Leadership Award.
“Jamie Lee Curtis and Jami and Klaus Heidegger have been involved with Project Angel Food for well over two decades and they are not afraid to throw on an apron, roll-up their sleeves and get involved,” said Executive Director Richard Ayoub.
Project Angel Food co-founder and Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson took a break from the campaign trail to be present for the historic event. Introduced by her longtime friend, grief expert David Kessler, with whom she co-founded the organization, the author and self-help guru put politics to the side and talked about the history of Project Angel Food during the AIDS crisis.
