One South Los Angeles woman has been very busy helping dialysis patients during the coronavirus pandemic, and now she needs the community's help to give those patients a special Thanksgiving.
Esmeralda Blanco started her charity "Grandma Luisa's Gift" about four months ago. The South LA native delivers groceries to dialysis patients in honor of her late grandmother Luisa.
After her grandmother's death, Blanco noticed that COVID restrictions now leave patients feeling alone and often afraid.
"When I see patients...it's if I'm seeing my grandmother, as if I'm giving a little bit of my heart to her," said Blanco.
She says that so far, she's delivered about 2,500 grocery bags to patients all around South LA, and she wants to make the deliveries the week before Thanksgiving special.
"You can sponsor a turkey that would really, really, really help," said Blanco. "I know it's Wednesday and getting 150 turkeys to some might seem crazy but I know it's possible."
Blanco says she'll hand-deliver one turkey to each family along with essentials patients cannot get for themselves because of the pandemic.
"We have our hand sanitizers here...we try to put a lot of bars because we know when they go to treatment, they get hungry," said Blanco.
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Blanco says she also includes her phone number in those bags in case patients need a ride or just someone to talk to.
Every delivery is a promise from Blanco that, like her late grandmother, these patients will never feel alone.
"I feel her in every patient...I know through her help and God's help, I have been guided by people that I know they have sent to me," said Blanco.
You can help Blanco reach her goal by making a donation through her Facebook page: Grandma Luisa's Gift.
