Longtime friendships and ties lead to food deliveries for local hospital workers

VERMILION — Area hospital workers will be treated to a few meals in the next few weeks, courtesy of some big names in the sporting world. Three hundred meals were delivered Monday to Mercy Health Lorain Hospital from Huggy's Social House in Vermilion, courtesy of Project Frontline. The program's aim is two-fold: throwing business to restaurant owners suffering under quarantine, and to show gratitude for medical workers by providing a meal. Project Frontline is part of Athletes and Causes Foundation, which teams up athletes across the board with localized charity projects. Project Frontline is also arranging for 300 meals to be delivered to UH Elyria Medical Center on May 20, provided by German's Villa of Vermilion. The Vermilion restaurants were included as part of a long history between the main characters. Vermilion native Allie LaForce, a reporter at Turner Sports, and her husband, Houston Astros pitcher Joe Smith, have been active in Project Frontline projects in various cities, matching up local restaurants and hospital staffs. Decades ago, LaForce's father, Wade, was a classmate and teammate of Tom Hug at Irving Junior High School in Lorain. Their teacher — and football coach — was Cliff German. Years later, all three men ran into each other and all had moved from Lorain further west, to Vermilion. Cliff German went on to take over the family business, German's Villa. Hug now co-owns Huggy's Social House with Mark McDowell. Wade LaForce was a standout football player in college and a businessman in Vermilion before moving in recent years. All remain good friends to this day. German and Hug speak every day, and during the restaurant downturn during the pandemic, they have joined forces to promote each other. So when Allie LaForce and Smith, a former Cleveland Indian, were looking for local hospitals and restaurateurs to match up as part of Project Frontline, she knew where to go. "Allie, being from Vermilion, really wanted to help out there," said Chris Haran, a spokesman for Athletes and Causes. Haran said Project Frontline is on track to deliver more than 14,000 meals this month in Florida, Texas, California, Arizona and Ohio and are planning events in New York. "Allie and Joe have really taken the lead on this project and it's been truly amazing." Workers at Huggy's spent Monday putting together 300 raspberry almond turkey wraps — "Allie's grandma's favorite" — and London broil wraps to deliver, Hug said. German will help deliver, using his company's delivery truck. Hug will help German when he feeds Elyria workers next week. "It's a heck of a connection. I'm telling you, to this day we're all good friends. We're all excited about this and we're all glad for each other when we're doing good," German said. "We're blessed, we're lucky and we're looking forward to getting back to business." "I've gotten to know them (Hug and German) over the past week and they're just truly some of the nicest guys we've met. We're really excited to be working with people from Allie's hometown," said Hunter Uteg, account manager with the foundation. For information or to make donations to feed medical workers, visit athletesandcauses.org. Contact Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.