Celebrate Ruth Henricks Day

Members of the Bonita Optimist Club are celebrating Ruth Henricks Day on Thursday, November 7 with a special dinner in her honor at Provence House, 4370 Sweetwater Road, Bonita. There are many reasons to single Ruth out for special recognition. She has been recognized for her many years of generously looking after numerous individuals infected with the AIDS virus. She was at the forefront of serving AIDS patients in need of physical nourishment as well as offering them emotional support with kindness and respect.

Special Delivery, Ruth's business that became her passion and her mission, has expanded over the years to include not only those with AIDS, but also those who are critically ill, isolated and/or unable to care for themselves. To promote the success of her vision, Ruth organized a team of volunteers to assist with necessary tasks; she generated a cadre of support to promote food donations; and she has even created a special diet pantry to accommodate the dietary needs for those who need this service! By successfully organizing all these "moving parts", Ruth's Special Delivery is able to deliver more than 300 nutritious meals EACH DAY!! 

Ruth's original restaurant was the Huddle by the Park, located on Third Avenue in Chula Vista. She was there for several years. Then in 1991 she began her ownership and management of The Huddle, a popular diner in the Hillcrest area, located at 4023 Goldfinch Street, San Diego 92103. Special Delivery is based there as is their food pantry.

Ruth has a Special Delivery website https://www.specialdeliverysandiego.org/ and beneath her logo is the slogan "Welcome to Love in a Bag" . . . this so demonstrates where Ruth's heart is. She has taken her cooking skill and talent and gifted those abilities to those who most need her in their lives. 

The Bonita Optimists have been truly blessed to have Ruth as one of our members. Her dedication to taking care of those in need has inspired all of us to try just a little bit harder to make our corner of the world a better place for others! And for the past 25 years, she has also catered wonderful meals for our weekly Bonita Optimist meetings as well as spoiling us on special holiday occasions.

Therefore, celebrating Ruth Henricks Day on Thursday, November 7 is a small token of our love for one of our friends, a thoughtful recognition of all she has accomplished and a great deal of gratitude for having had Ruth in our lives!

The Bonita Optimist Club's dinner meeting for Ruth will be at Provence House, 4370 Sweetwater Road, Bonita, at 6:00 pm. Bonita Optimist club regularly meets on Thursdays for 7:00am breakfast, except for the first Thursday of each month when dinner meetings are at 6:00pm at the same location. Guests are always welcome!

Submitted by Vicki Garcia-Golden, The Bonita Optimist Club

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