'Abbott Elementary' star Sheryl Lee Ralph gets emotional at Project Angel Food expansion project
Sheryl Lee Ralph moved to tears as she remembers friends she lost during AIDS crisis
LOS ANGELES -- On Thursday, Project Angel Food broke ground on a brand-new facility with a star-studded crew, including "Haunted Mansion" star Jamie Lee Curtis, "Abbott Elementary" star Sheryl Lee Ralph and the "King of Sitcoms," Chuck Lorre.
Project Angel Food strives to end food insecurity by providing healthy meals to those with life-threatening illnesses. Since its founding in 1989, Project Angel Food has provided almost 17 million meals to people across Los Angeles and is now setting out on a $51 million renovation and expansion project.
Sheryl Lee Ralph, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series in 2022 and who is nominated again in the same category, has worked with Project Angel Food for years.
As a trustee, Ralph gave a rousing speech.
"34 years ago, almost half my life ago, I remember being so happy and so full of life, and the best and the worst of all times came the worst when my friends just started dropping dead of a mysterious disease that had no name. They got sick today and they were dead tomorrow," Ralph stated.
"For so many of them, there was no help for them. There was no love for them. There was no food for them. There was nothing but the worst that people could show other human beings," she said.
Voice wavering, she pushed on to say, "And I think about how many died. I think about how many died alone. I think about how many did not have what so many of us have, and that is just another day."
With tears running down her face, Ralph became visibly more emotional as she spoke.
She ended her speech by saying, "And when I think about the past and I look at the present, and I think about how many of them died and gave their life for us to be able to help and support other people now in the present, maybe, in some way we will learn that when we put people first, that is when real change happens. Because every day, Project Angel Food puts people who need the help first."
