UNR student’s grocery-shopping nonprofit is a global success.
In March, as COVID-19 ripped its way across the United States, Jayde Powell had an epiphany during a phone call with her mother. Powell was sitting in the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, waiting to fly home to Las Vegas, and her mom had to cut their conversation short because she wanted to call her elderly neighbor and offer to pick up any needed supplies from the grocery store. This was where Shopping Angels began.
“Something sparked for me,” Powell explains. “I realized many people were going to have a lot of fear and anxiety about going out on their own. As someone who felt safe and healthy, I knew there was something I could do. It broke my heart to think about seniors going into a store, not being able to get water or toilet paper. I knew I could make a difference in the community.”
A psychology and biology major at the University of Nevada, Reno, Powell rallied her fellow students and friends to begin a volunteer initiative aimed at helping the local elderly population. Little did she know, the initiative, which eventually was named Shopping Angels, would become a global success.
Jayde Powell, founder of nonprofit Shopping Angels, shops for groceries for one of her clients at the Reno Food Source store
Worldwide Relief
With more than 7,000 volunteers across all 50 states and several international branches, Shopping Angels continues to deliver groceries completely free to seniors. In addition, Powell launched the Sponsor Angels sponsorship program in which donors are paired with clients to provide monetary support.
“We’ve organized everything through our website with prompts for volunteers, Sponsor Angels, and clients who need services,” Powell says. “Reply time varies by state, but most requests are responded to the same day. The volunteer gets in touch with the client to organize a good time to deliver their groceries.”
Powell has applied for nonprofit status and is working with several grocery chains and food banks to expedite the services. She’s also boosting the college outreach program to recruit Shopping Angels and build a larger volunteer base.
“I’d like this to continue to be a resource for people who may not be able to get to the stores easily and expand to serve people with disabilities, too,” she explains. “It can be extremely time consuming for some people to get to the store and get their items. As a whole, I want the organization to be accessible and provide our services for as many people as we can.”
To learn more about becoming a Shopping Angel, Sponsor Angel, or a client, visit Shoppingangelsglobal.org.
With an 89-year-old grandfather who lives in Reno, Heidi Bethel has spent the last few years helping him get groceries and run other errands. She recognizes the tremendous effort made by Shopping Angels and hopes Powell achieves all of her dreams for the organization.
