Coronavirus News: 'Savor Pride' fundraiser goes virtual to help feed people with COVID-19
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- "Savor Pride," an immersive culinary fundraiser held each year during NYC Pride, went virtual for the City's 2020 celebration due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The event supports NYC Pride and God's Love We Deliver, an organization which cooks and home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves.
God's Love was born during the AIDS crisis and has become a lifeline for people sick with COVID-19.
"We know how to manage in a pandemic, that is what we do," Director of Key Donors and Corporate Partnerships Stephen Covello said.
WATCH: Everything you need to know about this year's NYC Pride celebration
The organization has seen a 25% spike in clients since the start of the pandemic.
God's Love now delivers 10,000 meals a day and is doing it with 60% fewer volunteers because of social distancing protocols.
"Home delivered meals, specifically those medically tailored just to their individual diagnostic treatment, have been more important than ever," Director of Communications Emmett Findley said.
This year's "Savor Pride" is a virtual, week-long cooking event featuring celebrity chefs.
Chef Renee Blackman knows all about sharing food and love, she single-handedly cooked 32,000 meals during the pandemic to show her support.
"I donated to nurses to make sure front line workers were taken care of," Blackman said. "Food is love so God's Love We Deliver, it just goes hand in hand."
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"Savor Pride" brings together the LGBTQ+ community that God's Love was first created for, and food, which God's Love has always been about.
"We need something to do and something that brings us together and food is that thing that will always bring us together," Blackman said.
"Our chefs are so excited to do something, to cook and support God's Love and NYC Pride in this kind of wacky time," Covello said.
Savor pride events are Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
They're free, and as you cook along, you're also encouraged to donate, just $10 funds a meal for a client.
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