The lineup also includes Adam Brody, Brooke Shields, Janelle James, Jason Ritter, Valerie Bertinelli, Jamie Lee Curtis and Judith Light.
Noah Wyle, Amy Poehler and Regina King will make appearances on this year’s Project Angel Food telethon Lead With Love: Going the Distance.
The special will air live on KTLA 5 on June 27 from 7-9 p.m. PT.
The lineup also includes Adam Brody, Brooke Shields, Janelle James, Jason Ritter, Valerie Bertinelli, Jamie Lee Curtis, Judith Light, Kym 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 “I Dream of Jeannie” icon Barbara Eden.
Project Angel, which began in 1989 as a meal delivery service for people with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles, now provides now provides more than 1.5 million medically tailored meals annually, along with nutrition counseling and compassionate client support, to 7,100 Angelenos.
Lead With Love will be hosted Eric McCormack, Steven Weber, Jessica Holmes of KTLA as well as Loni Love. The evening will also feature live performances by Clay Aiken, Tiffany, Em Beihold, Sam Harris and “The Wiz Live!” star Shanice Shantay.
Amy Yasbeck, Bruce Vilanch, Will Sasso, Jodie Sweetin, KTLA’s Melvin Robert and brothers Gregory and Lawrence Zarian will be answering calls on the All-Star Phone Bank.
“Every day, Project Angel Food goes the distance for people who depend on us, with 16 refrigerated vans traveling 17,700 miles across 81 routes throughout Los Angeles County,” said Lead With Love: Going the Distance executive producer Brad Bessey. “With monthly fuel costs approaching $15,000 — up 55% in just 30 days — we are bringing together an incredible lineup of artists for a joyful night of television to help keep those vans on the road and meals reaching our neighbors in need.”
Now in its seventh year, Lead with Love has earned three Los Angeles Area Emmy Award nominations. Last year’s telethon raised nearly $722,000.
“Project Angel Food was founded on the belief that no one facing serious illness should also face hunger and isolation,” Project Angel Food CEO and telethon executive producer Richard Ayoub said. “The Emmy nomination is a wonderful recognition of the people who bring this special to life, but its greatest impact is measured in meals delivered and lives touched. Every donation made during Lead with Love: Going the Distance helps us extend dignity, nourishment and compassion to our neighbors when they need it most.”
In addition to Bessey and Ayoub, executive producers include Michelle Robinson and Mark McBride. Marcus Smith, Jacob Burch and Chris Reilly serve as executive producers for KTLA 5.
The telethon will also stream across KTLA and Project Angel Food’s digital platforms, including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on KTLA+ via Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Samsung Smart TVs.
City National Bank returns as the special’s longtime presenting sponsor. Title sponsors are Yaamava’ Resort & Casino and the Herb Ritts Foundation, with the Edward F. Limato Foundation joining as a principal sponsor.