Submitted by Ben Hallowell
The Host a Hero – Help a Coronado Restaurant program has now directed more than $10,000 in “Hero certificates” to five Coronado restaurants (Tartine was recently added to the list). We have hosted 40 wounded warriors and first responder/healthcare providers and each dinner included a 33% minimum gratuity for the restaurant and its employees. In addition, our Kids Who Care have led three separate deliveries (Christmas eve, New Year’s eve, and last Friday) to the night shift at Coronado hospital serving 30 – 50 each time.
The responses from all the recipients have been heartwarming and the community is encouraged to help us grow and keep helping our restaurants as long as we’re needed.
Retired Coronado teacher Nancy Ratcliffe, who started the Old Goats Kids Who Care as an offshoot of her Radical Rabbits kindergarten classes, works tirelessly with two other moms, Beth Elardo and Megan Parma, to coordinate the program. They, with the Kids – Jack, Grace, Madison, Brooklyn, Dominic, Kennedy – have hand written thank you notes to every host. In addition, Nancy has called every recipient to coordinate their dinner with the restaurant.
Nancy has been brought to tears by some of the responses and long conversations. One ICU nurse shared, “this means everything to me and my family right now;” while an amputee told Nancy that someone thinking of him made his life worthwhile especially over the holidays.
Thank you to all involved!
For more information on honoring a hero and helping a restaurant by hosting, open this PDF: Host a Hero Flyer (same as image below)
