"We started in the '80s... a response to people dying, to people being really ill, and a high level of stigma and an unwillingness of traditional supports to help people," said Caila Nickerson, Lifelong's director of food and nutrition. "It was just individuals stepping up and making a decision to help. So, much of that has continued to inform how we function today.

"Today, we're definitely a much more oiled machine. We offer services through Chicken Soup Brigade. We do groceries that are nutritious and culturally relevant. We do meals that are medically tailored. We do nutrition counseling and nutrition education."

Although the scope of services has changed, Nickerson said that maintaining the CSB name is a "nod to the service that we provide — health and comfort in support of the community" and because of the "history of it."

"I feel like every, every time I meet someone new in Seattle, they're like: 'Oh, yeah. I remember — like in '91 to '94 — I volunteered with CSB,'" Nickerson said. "I was just in a meeting the other day where there were like three women who talked about delivering food in the '80s.

"We have a lot of long-term volunteers. There are people who are still volunteering that share about the impact that the organization has had on them and their loved ones, and the ways in which that connected them to the community...

"Lots of lots of people who are Queer — lots of Gay, Lesbian, Queer people — have found community with the agency and with volunteering and supporting folks, especially [at] the height of the AIDS epidemic."

"We're trying to get the word out that while treatment has improved — people are living really long lives now, when they get on proper medication and treatment for HIV and AIDS," added Nickerson. "But it's still here. It's still very much an important piece of our work. You know, we've always been there for people living with HIV and we always will be, especially as our community becomes more diverse and more people from other countries come to Washington."

Origins and development
The idea for CSB began during Hannukkah in 1982 when a Seattle Gay Clinic volunteer, Tim Burak, called New York to inquire about the "Buddy Network" program out of Gay Men's Health Crisis. He had seen an outbreak of hepatitis in the Gay community and wanted to form a similar effort here. The name, Chicken Soup Brigade, was conceived after a friend of Burak's, who needed help with taking their medication and transportation, had asked: "You think you could cook me up a little chicken soup today?'

CSB was born out of the Seattle Gay Clinic in 1983 as a way to help people living with any disabling illness to get to doctor's appointments, to provide companionship, and to deliver groceries to them. By 1984, the focus shifted to serving people with AIDS. Burak and Josh Joshua handled referrals from physicians, clinics, and patients. The first referral came from Dr. Ann Collier at Harborview Medical Center. Tom Speer and Will Jones filled out the first CSB volunteer corps.

However, as the volunteer effort grew, the focus shifted to food. In 1987, CSB hired its first paid staff member, Carol Sterling, who has been credited with creating a period of immense growth. She hired new staff and grew the budget and volunteer base. Sterling reached the position of executive director in 1990 but stepped down to focus on fund development. A co-executive director model was then adopted. Larry Palmer became the executive director of administration while Sterling was the executive director of development.

By 1991, CSB had approximately 400 volunteers — most providing four hours a week. CSB then opened a thrift store at 207 Harvard Ave. In 1994, it hired a dietician. In 1996, it expanded its services to include anyone who was HIV-positive. Its client base expanded from 187 (or 350, depending on which historical document you read) in 1990 to over 900 by 1997.

In June 2000, Chicken Soup Brigade and the Northwest AIDS Foundation announced their intention to merge to form the Lifelong AIDS Alliance in 2001. Today, the organization is named, simply, Lifelong, to bitter fit its changing client base and shifting mission.

(The history of the CSB was gathered by the SGN through archived webpages from CSB, Lifelong, and the City of Seattle archives.)

Broadened scope, new obstacles
"Initially, Chicken Soup Brigade started as a bunch of volunteers and home cooks — just bringing food and other supplies to people with HIV and dying from AIDS. There was a lot of stigma and lack of access to care for those people. In the past, I think, 10 years or so, our food program really made a big shift to supporting people with all sorts of chronic illnesses," explained Ali LeRoy, Lifelong's senior manager of marketing and communications.

"We learned that when people were getting healthy food on a regular basis, it was helping them manage their health in different ways. About 10 years ago... a partner agency supporting people living with kidney disease asked us if we might be able to lean in and help their clients as well.

"Since then, we've kind of broadened our scope to support what we call medically tailored meals. So that's looking at sodium intake, types of fats, and if it's easily digestible for people that have swallowing difficulties, things like that. Now, we support people with a wide range of medical needs. That could be [people] that could be going through cancer treatment, and needing to be really careful about the food that they eat..."

Lifelong's CSB program has faced new service delivery obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic, including shifting to home delivery and moving support services to phone or virtual appointments.

Lifelong has played a critical role in another way too, according to Nickerson.

"One of our meal programs is called 'Welcome Home.' For folks who have been recently discharged from an inpatient stay, we will deliver four weeks of 14 meals to their home within 48 hours of their discharge," she said. "That includes folks who have had COVID-19. That's the sort of service that we provide to people just to help them be able to recover healthfully.

"We've done larger things with vaccine initiatives. Our Aging and Disability Services team has done a lot of vaccine work. We've done some of that across the agency, like vaccine education and supporting people in getting access to healthy food, housing, and whatever sort of education related to COVID-19 they need."

Online auction
While Lifelong gets money to deliver these services, in part, through government partners and foundations, it also relies on public support to fill the gap.

"On World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2021, we are having an online auction. We were going to have our in-person gala this past month but, due to the pandemic, we weren't able to meet in person," said Nickerson.

"So, we adjusted to this model, which includes a lot of cool items. We've worked with a number of local artists in the area that have either donated or produced and donated pieces kind of related to their experiences with HIV and the AIDS epidemic. We've got some wine tastings and fun, fun experience packages. There are lots of opportunities for folks to support our organization and get some unique finds for themselves."