"My favorite thing about Shopping Angels is the personal connection volunteers have with clients on a daily basis…We’ve received e-mails and phone calls from clients who said they cried when they realized they had our program as a resource…I’m infinitely thankful that we’re able to help people in some small way."—Jayde Powell, Founder/CEO, Shopping Angels

"Go to bed early," 92-year-old Renee told Jayde Powell, founder and CEO of Shopping Angels, when she delivered a grocery-filled care package. Renee lives in an assisted living facility in Las Vegas, Powell's hometown, and was worried that Powell was working too hard.

Shopping Angels is an organization of volunteers who buy and deliver groceries for elderly and home-bound clients, and Powell has been working around the clock since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She was on spring break from a pre-med college program and felt compelled to help the elderly in her community, at high risk for contracting the virus.

What started as a local effort of Powell and a few friends delivering groceries, within two months turned into an international operation with more than 7,000 volunteers delivering in every state (and in Canada and Australia, too).

Like many, Powell didn't know how to help at first.

She says: "When the pandemic hit the United States, many pictures began circulating on social media showing not only empty shelves, but also senior citizens going to the store but unable to find necessities. Those hit close to home for me, because I am very close with my grandparents, and I understand that a shopping trip can take a substantial amount of time."

When Powell's mom told her that she was checking on some elderly neighbors, "Something in me clicked," Powell says, "This was the way I could give back."

She says: "I’m a 'military brat'— my dad is retired from the Air Force, and my mom also served some time as an enlisted member. I was very much raised with the understanding that service is of utmost importance, whether it be community service (like volunteering with my mom for Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada) or service to the country. This was probably the biggest catalyst for my starting the Shopping Angels program."

A Personal Need to Serve Becomes An International Effort

Powell quickly spread the word among friends and posted social media ads to gather volunteers.

News of the food shopping program went viral. Almost immediately after Powell posted the social media ads, a Las Vegas TV news station called wanting to interview Powell. Word kept spreading and soon there was interest in other states.

"Very quickly, we found out that the need for assistance and the desire to help were much greater than we ever anticipated," Powell says. "Within weeks, we had raised thousands of dollars through GoFundMe, acquired thousands of volunteers, recruited dozens of state coordinators, and began the discussions about operations in other countries."

All of that didn't come without intense focus. In the first two weeks Powell says she worked 300 hours setting up the Shopping Angels program, trying to do everything herself (while continuing her college studies online).

As a pre-med student she was used to working long hours, but without business or management experience, she quickly realized that she needed to delegate some responsibilities.

The focus is on buying and delivering groceries, but to sustain that simple process, they had to quickly create an efficient business. Powell got help with making and maintaining a website, creating a background-check process for volunteers, conducting training sessions, finding legal help for the non-profit application, and more.

Learning and Adapting in a Pandemic

Pandemic conditions have made it difficult at times to handle even basic parts of the process. With supply chains limited coupled with high demand, stores have capped how many items can be bought.

Powell says: "This makes it difficult to shop for multiple clients when I’m not allowed to purchase more than one unit of toilet paper, you know?"

Despite setbacks, volunteers in every location have stayed vigilant.

"We have been honored and humbled to see the volunteers stepping up to help us expand," Powell says. "Expansion and growth truly would be impossible without the courage and commitment of those volunteers!"

Powell and her team didn't have experience running a non-profit organization and few people anywhere have training to deal with the changing elements of a health crisis. Staying flexible is key.

Powell says: "Shopping Angels began as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we have been keeping up-to-date on best practices to prevent transmission and sharing this information with our volunteers.

"For instance, when we started, wearing gloves was a requirement and masks were only a recommendation due to their scarcity. Since then, the situation has flipped. We no longer require gloves for volunteers, but we do require masks."

Non-Profit In Progress

Many thousands of supporters who couldn't help shop and deliver have still wanted to help, offering to send money. That's why Powell set up a GoFundMe page and the program has collected more than $47,000 to date.

They have not yet used the money, though.

"Most organizations gain 501(c)3 status first, then raise money," Powell says. "This is how banks are prepared to handle non-profit accounts. However, we are still in the process of acquiring 501(c)3 status, which means we aren’t able to spend the funds yet."

Necessity triggers invention. Until they can use the donations to pay for groceries, they set up a Sponsor Angels program.

People who sign up to be Sponsor Angels are paired with clients — sometimes near them, sometimes across the country — to help pay for the groceries. The clients still get local volunteer Shopping Angels to purchase and deliver their groceries, but the volunteers are reimbursed by the Sponsor Angel themselves.

Another roadblock they’ve had is on how to spread the word of the free service beyond television and social media/internet presence. Many seniors likely don’t have access to these media, so they are trying to make their flyers more accessible to volunteers so that they can be printed and distributed in neighborhoods across the country.

Food and Connection

The sustenance Shopping Angels offers goes beyond food. Seniors and volunteers are also making meaningful connections.

Powell says: "One of my mentors taught me that the antidote to anxiety is human connection, and that we all crave that connection to someone else. During this pandemic, it is beyond difficult for people to still feel connected, feel valuable. Many clients have noted that before receiving services, they felt neglected or abandoned, and hearing that is immensely difficult for me.

"My favorite thing about Shopping Angels is the personal connection volunteers have with clients on a daily basis…We’ve received e-mails and phone calls from clients who said they cried when they realized they had our program as a resource. It’s been such an emotional experience for me personally, but I’m infinitely thankful that we’re able to help people in some small way."

Small gestures can make a big impact.

Powell adds: "We’ve had volunteers purchase flowers or birthday cards for clients, and clients give our volunteers handmade masks. One New York volunteer travelled 90 minutes to reach a client in need. A Florida volunteer went to seven separate stores to complete a client’s shopping list. In some cases, our volunteers step up to be consistent and repeat volunteers for their clients, going above and beyond the call of duty."

As for Renee, Powell's regular Shopping Angels client, they have a “raincheck” for brunch in the future, she says, "when things are safe for us to meet and really spend time with each other."

 A Commitment to Serve

Even though Shopping Angels started as a "pop-up" response to a crisis, Powell plans to continue the program.

She says: "We’ve been told by clients that this service is needed even without a pandemic, and many volunteers have said that they want to continue volunteering with us because of the one-on-one experiences they’re able to have. We will continue to offer free delivery for groceries, but we hope to evolve to help our communities in the ways that are most needed."

You can donate to Shopping Angels here.[]