Dana Point Woman’s Club Sends Second Round of "Hugs to Heroes"

“Thank you so much!” “ We were so surprised and grateful.” “We thought people had forgotten about us!” These were some of the responses from front line covid care workers at Mission Viejo’s Providence Mission Hospital, last Thursday, when 160 hot meals arrived courtesy of Dana Point’s Hugs for Heroes program. Credit for this particular effort goes to the members of the Dana Point Woman’s Club, whose volunteers bought the meals through the Club’s second fundraising effort for this cause. In addition, they delivered hand written love notes and a car load of close to $600 of individually wrapped snacks for workers to grab during their shifts.

Hugs for Heroes purchases meals at a subsidized flat price of $10 per meal from Dana Point restaurants. This time, Jon’s Fish Market and Pepi’s Sports Bar and Grill provided the meals, carefully packaging them in individual boxes bearing the Hugs for Heroes sticker. Next week’s meals will be provided by Brio Tuscany Grille and Subway Dana Point.

DPWC Co-President, Karin Marsh said, “Our members love this cause. By this point in the pandemic, we've all had enough. I can’t imagine how the front line workers are feeling – especially since they're working even longer hours than usual with the rampant Omicron virus causing staffing shortages. It’s our pleasure to send them a much needed “hug” from the community. The pandemic isn’t over. I urge other service groups and individuals to help.”

Donations can be made via Capo Beach Church on behalf of Hugs for Heroes here.

So far, thanks to the generosity of Dana Point residents, businesses and service groups like DPWC, Hugs for Heroes Dana Point has delivered 800 meals and 6 carloads of snacks and love notes to covid care workers at Providence Mission Hospital’s two local campuses, Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach, which serve South Orange County residents.

In the words of Barrie Shaler, a frontline Covid ICU Nurse who lives in Capistrano Beach, “ It makes such a difference to have the community think of us this way! Every time the community sent us food or even just recognition, it meant so much! We are all exhausted from being on the frontlines. Thank you for blessing those nurses and doctors.”