Early in COVID-19 crisis Chef Vincent Gomez, brother to an emergency room doctor, reached out to Chris Sey (DINE 11 LA) to discuss what was happening with the hard working medical staff at the hospital and the surrounding restaurant businesses.  Similar to other facilities around the
world, these health care workers and restaurants are working days nights and graveyard shifts, often skipping meals or not even having the energy to eat. While hospitals strain, the restaurant industry is facing a different problem altogether. Not to mention families in need. To honor social distancing rules and keep their staff safe, owners are being asked to modify their services with outdoor dining curbside pickup or close their doors altogether. This, of course, has caused a chain reaction of job loss, stress and economic insecurity. For food loving Californians, home of the largest Agricultural Market in the US, the thought of losing our favorite restaurants to a pandemic is upsetting. For the servers, cooks, chefs and small business owners, whose lives depend on our patronage. Yet it was these two seemingly unrelated industries in distress that sparked an idea among many cities, Vincent reached out to close friends to raise money in order to buy meals from local restaurants, with the help of volunteers, delivering the food to hospital break rooms. and others were delivering delicious meals to the folks in the ER.

After contacting Chris Sey @ Dine11.org and expressing concern for Areas of Orange County DINE11 OC Sector was Created By Vincent Gomez and with support from The wonderful people at March On Foundation, came on as their nonprofit fiscal sponsor. Through their help, now anyone can make a tax-deductible donation to Dine11.