Dear Editor,

While we greatly appreciate your coverage of local issues affecting the AIDS/HIV community, we feel it our duty to correct inaccuracies in your recent article regarding the County of San Diego’s allocation of Ryan White CARE Act funds.

The HIV Planning Council is comprised of 35 members, including HIV/AIDS consumers and leaders from AIDS groups and other community-based organizations. The Council establishes service priorities for the allocation of Ryan White CARE Act funds within San Diego County. The HIV Planning Council does not decide which organizations will receive grants.

Ryan White CARE Act funds are federal dollars administered by the County Department of Health and Human Services and allocated through a competitive proposal process conducted by the County’s Department of Purchasing and Contracting. This procedure alone determines which local organizations are funded.

This process keeps the funding allocation process out of the hands of the HIV Planning Council, thereby addressing potential conflicts of interest. It also allows for broad community involvement and wide representation on the HIV Planning Council, as mandated by federal regulations.

The agencies receiving Ryan White funds use it for services that benefit people living with AIDS and HIV. This includes medical/dental care, transportation, counseling and homebound meal deliveries. Your article inaccurately suggested that all Ryan White funding that was intended for San Diego County went to Mama’s Kitchen, when, in fact, we applied for (and received) funding that was allocated solely for home meal delivery services.

Ryan White CARE Act funding of home delivered meals represents only 22.7 percent of our annual budget, not “almost 30 percent,” as stated in your article. Additionally, Mama’s Kitchen does provide service to the homeless through our grocery bag partnership with other AIDS service organizations. Funding for this program comes from Mama’s Kitchen’s general funds, not from Ryan White funds.

The staff and volunteers of Mama’s Kitchen stand ready to provide nutritional meals for every individual affected by AIDS who needs our assistance. We have the expertise, the kitchen capacity, and, most importantly, the desire to increase the number of people we serve every day — if and when we are confronted with an increased demand for home delivered meals.

We are experiencing a tough economic climate that makes it more challenging to solicit funds from every sector. Donors increasingly look for non-profit organizations that are fiscally responsible, efficient, strategic, and professional. Non-profits cannot take anything for granted because the competition for financial assistance is fierce.

Our competitive proposal met the criteria set forth by the independent selection committee organized by the County of San Diego, and that is why we received funding. Mama’s Kitchen will maintain our mission — providing meals to men, women and children affected by AIDS — with dignity and compassion to our clients and with fiscal and professional responsibility to our donors. We will be here until we are no longer needed.

Sincerely

Alberto Cortés Tom D’Amico

Executive Director Board President

Mama’s Kitchen Mama’s Kitchen

Dear Editor,

I have been volunteering at Special Delivery for the past eight years. Tuesday mornings, I help prepare and package about 140 meals a day for those living with HIV/AIDS. It’s called “Special” delivery because of the particular attention we pay to the special dietary requirements and preferences of each person. I, too, am HIV positive and know that when I don’t feel well, I don’t feel like preparing myself a nutritious meal. So I am convinced that if it weren’t for our meals, many would simply not eat. I’ve volunteered in many ways throughout my life. But there’s something about the immediate satisfaction of knowing I helped feed those who are truly needy. I strongly urge the authorities in charge of the Ryan White CARE Act funds to reconsider sharing some of those funds with Special Delivery. I would hate to see this wonderful community service, completely run by volunteers, end.

Drew Bell,

San Diego