ANGELS was formed in 2004 to fill the need for coordinated transportation of seniors. Our mission was and still is to provide a wide variety of services to residents, age 60+ or 55+ if Native American, to help them live safely in their homes with independence and dignity. These services include Transportation to and from appointments, errands, and events; Chores such as yardwork, snow removal, safety device installation and basic home maintenance; Consultation to identify, assess and resolve safety and self-care issues; Homemaker including pickup and delivery of meals, prescriptions, and groceries; and Visiting through our Friendly Connections program that matches a senior with a volunteer for regular calls, visits, and wellness checks.  Over our time in the community we have developed long-term relationships with many of our clients and are using targeted outreach to add new clients, particularly in the outlying areas of the county. Many of our volunteers become clients as their needs change because they know they will receive the assistance they need. While a major challenge can be providing transportation for the older adults who require regular visits for medical treatments in Aitkin, Grand Rapids, Duluth, Brainerd or even the Twin Cities, some of our volunteers are willing to be regular drivers for these trips.

Since its founding, ANGELS has seen a steady increase in the need for a wider variety of services and have evolved from being a volunteer-based Transportation provider to also being a volunteer-based provider of Chores, Homemaking, Consultation, and Visiting. During interactions with our clients, we learn of additional needs and seek solutions that can be applied to those who may not even realize the need.  For example, when a volunteer mentioned how difficult it was to find a client’s home, we sought and received a grant in December 2021 to purchase and install county E911 signage. So far, we have provided 20 homes with this important safety feature.