AAP — Food Samaritans (AAP) announced today that the Auen Foundation recently awarded a $25,000 grant to the organization to support its food voucher program for low-income Coachella Valley residents who suffer from HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. This is the 18th consecutive year that the Auen Foundation has supported this program.
“We are impressed by the AAP – Food Samaritans recent expansion of its mission,” said Catharine Reed, Senior Program Officer for the Auen Foundation. “For more than 26 years, this organization has offered nutritional support to Coachella Valley residents that need it the most. Originally, AAP was focused on serving people living with HIV/AIDS, but they recently expanded their mission to include people living with other chronic illnesses. We applaud this expansion and outreach to some of our community’s most vulnerable residents.”
AAP – Food Samaritans was founded in 1991 to help the most at-risk members of the Greater Palm Springs community – people who are low-income and compromised by HIV/AIDS. It recently expanded its services to include people suffering from cancer, MS, heart or liver disease, and other chronic illnesses. Its ongoing mission is to ensure that all AAP clients can continue to live their lives with dignity and self-respect.
“I’m pleased that AAP – Food Samaritans has had such a beneficial and long-standing relationship with the Auen Foundation,” said Mark Anton, CEO and Executive Director of AAP. “Their ongoing support of AAP has played a vital role in ensuring that we continue to fulfill our mission of providing monthly nutritional support to low income Coachella Valley residents who live with chronic illness. AAP does not receive federal or state financial assistance, so generous private donations like this allow us to continue to support the people who need it most.”