Noah Wyle, Amy Poehler and Regina King will appear in this year’s Project Angel Food telethon, “Lead with Love: Going the Distance.”
The special will be broadcast live on KTLA 5 on June 27th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm Pacific Time.
The lineup also includes Adam Brody, Brooke Shields, Janelle James, Jason Ritter, Valerie Bertinelli, Jamie Lee Curtis, Judith Light, Kim Whitley, Lori Loughlin, Morgan Fairchild, Caroline Rhea, Edward James Olmos, and visual artist Robert Vargas. A special appearance will be made by 94-year-old Jeannie’s Dream icon Barbara Eden.
Project Angel began in Los Angeles in 1989 as a meal delivery service for people living with HIV and AIDS and today serves more than 1.5 million medically prepared meals annually to 7,100 Angelenos, along with nutritional counseling and compassionate customer support.
Lead With Love is hosted by KTLA’s Eric McCormack, Stephen Weber, Jessica Holmes and Loni Love. The night will also feature live performances by Clay Aiken, Tiffany, M Beyhold, Sam Harris and “The With Live!” star Shanice Shanti.
Amy Yasbeck, Bruce Vilanch, Will Sasso, Jodie Sweetin, KTLA’s Melvin Roberts, and brothers Gregory and Lawrence Zarian will be answering the All-Star Phone Bank calls.
“Every day, Project Angel Food travels 17,700 miles on 81 routes throughout Los Angeles County in 16 refrigerated vans to serve the people who depend on us,” said Brad Bessey, executive producer of “Lead With Love: Going the Distance.” “With monthly fuel costs approaching $15,000, an increase of 55% in just 30 days, we’re bringing together an incredible lineup of artists for a fun night of TV to keep our vans running and delivering meals to our neighbors in need.”
Now in its seventh year, “Lead with Love” has been nominated for three Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. Last year’s telethon raised about $722,000.
“Project Angel Food was founded on the belief that no one facing a serious illness should face hunger or isolation,” said Richard Ayoub, CEO of Project Angel Food and executive producer of the television show. “The Emmy nominations are great recognition for the people who brought this special to life, but its greatest impact is measured by the meals delivered and the lives touched. Every donation made during ‘Lead with Love: Going the Distance’ helps bring dignity, nutrition and compassion to our neighbors who need it most.”
In addition to Bessie and Ayoub, Michelle Robinson and Mark McBride are executive producers. Marcus Smith, Jacob Birch and Chris Reilly will serve as executive producers for KTLA 5.
The telethon will also be streamed on KTLA and Project Angel Food’s digital platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as KTLA+ via Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung smart TVs.
City National Bank returns as a long-time sponsor of the special. Title sponsors are the Yermarva Resort & Casino and the Herb Ritts Foundation, with the Edward F. Limato Foundation joining as principal sponsor.
