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July 22, 2021 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976
Charity founder credits angels for kick-starting his mission BY TIFFANY MORGAN newsroom@appenmedia.com NORTH METRO ATLANTA — The Greyhound bus station in Atlanta was cold and musty. Dim lights gave it a dreary feeling. It was the winter of 2002. Anthony Delgado was residing on the station floor, down on his luck. A drug-addicted and homeless veteran. But that evening at the bus station, Delgado witnessed what he said was an act of God. He experienced a moment that literally got him on his feet and on a journey to recovery. At the bus station, there were two people – a man and a woman – standing in front of him and shouting, “Young man, go to the VA hospital, they’re going to help you!” They told him several times in a row, almost chantlike. “Leave me alone!” Delgado shouted back. Others inside the bus station stared at Delgado. They did not see the figures Delgado was speaking to. He says they were angels. Delgado left the bus station to follow the couple outside, but they were gone. Another day, Delgado was approached by a man that asked if he was a veteran. Yes, Delgado responded, Marine Corps. The man guided Delgado to the Clairmont Road train station, down a long escalator to what would be an eye-opening experience. By the time Delgado stepped onto the train, he turned around to thank the man who’d helped him. But he was gone. Another angel. Not long after, Delgado was at the VA hospital and was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. After some assessment, the doctor presented to Delgado two options: Go to a rehabilitation program, which included three hot meals a day and job opportunities. Leave the hospital the following day and continue to
live his homeless life as a drug addict. Rehab it was. Delgado said the program turned his life around and got him on a path of service. He got a job as a representative for a telecommunications company and attended church regularly. Delgado was baptized. He said it washed away the problems he was trying to overcome. “I was clean from the inside,” Delgado said. “I felt a change that I can’t even explain to you; Christ really came into my life.” Delgado was soon filled with a need to help those down on their luck; like he used to be. I Care Atlanta Inc. (ICA) was officially established in 2010 – formerly known as My Brother’s Keepers Reaching Out Inc. – as a 501(c) nonprofit located at 5879-B New Peachtree Road in Doraville. But before it’s official location, it was initially started from the trunk of Delgado’s 1984 red and white Dodge van. Now he has a place of business and nine employees to help him distribute food and keep everything in order. With food insecurity a challenge in Metro Atlanta, Delgado was motivated to devote the rest of his life to help stabilize lives by feeding those in food insecure homes. ICA services are through mobile, in-house distribution and emergency/crisis prevention. “I honestly believe that God put me in this position,” Delgado said. “I didn’t start this program, God started this program.” ICA receives quality meats and other produce from Publix, Trader Joe’s, Buckhead Beef and other neighboring grocery chains that support the values of Delgado’s nonprofit. The message of Delgado’s organization is simple: “stabilizing lives.” In the previous year, with a pandemic taking hold, it gave their organization a whole new meaning, serving hundreds of families during the COVID-19. ICA accepts donations including toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, wipes, first aid kits, small toiletries, school supplies, baby items, hygiene products, new
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Boxes of food lined up at a July 6 I Care Atlanta food distribution.
socks, new undergarments, hygienic products, gift cards, office supplies and reusable shopping bags. Their biggest need is monetary donations, Delgado said. Alongside their food services, Delgado accepts clothing donations that he gets sent off to get cleaned so they are pressed and ready to go for whoever might seek out well-kept clothing items. ICA also has food distributions every week and the location changes each time. Law enforcement also attend, and Delgado said it is a good way for the community to talk with the officers. For more information, go to www.icareatlanta.org or for monetary donations, ICA utilizes CashApp – username is $ICareAtlantaGA – and PayPal and Paypal.me/ ICareAtlanta. Checks can also be made out to I Care Atlanta.
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