Shopping Angels starting Montana group to help in COVID-19 pandemic

Aidan White is leading the efforts for Shopping Angels Montana to connect vulnerable populations to volunteers wanting to support them.

Shopping Angels is an international volunteer program founded by Jayde Powell, an Honors pre-medical student at the University of Nevada, Reno in mid-March 2020.

The program was featured in a story on CNN.

The program's mission statement reads:

"Shopping Angels is a program designed to provide services to those populations deemed especially at-risk for the novel (coronavirus 2019 and the illness it causes, COVID-19) that is spreading throughout the United States. To help ease the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear surrounding this pandemic, we are volunteering our time to personally deliver groceries or other shopping necessities to those who may prefer to stay within the safety of their own home at no additional cost."

Shopping Angels is a program that connects volunteers to clients in need. Clients are typically high-risk individuals, to include senior citizens, parents of young infants, and individuals with heart, lung, or immune conditions. The program can also deliver to people with COVID-19, but this status must be disclosed to the volunteer so that both parties can exercise strict caution during the delivery.

This program began as a local effort to provide free delivery services to clients in the Las Vegas and Reno, NV communities. It has now grown to encompass 5,000+ volunteers across the United States - in every state - with international branches in Australia and Canada.

People can register to volunteer as a shopper/delivery driver, coordinator, or both. However, people who want to officially register as a volunteer, or request assistance, must visit our website https://shoppingangelsglobal.org/ and fill out the appropriate form under the 'volunteer' or 'place an order' tab, respectively.

The program's e-mail is [email protected], and people can also reach out via phone at 406-624-9220. People can visit the national Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/shoppingangelsinc to join the Shopping Angels Montana group or groups in other states to get connected with others in their state. Shopping Angels Montana also has a website coming soon.

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Online: CNN website Shopping Angels: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/us/coronavirus-student-volunteers-grocery-shop-elderly-iyw-trnd/index.html .