ENCINITAS, Calif. — "Send the Love" is a News 8 community campaign that gives you the opportunity to send a "shout out" and "thank you" to an unsung hero working to keep our community strong. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Cardiff to honor some local heroes.
I kicked things off by saying "thank you" to Colleen Stanich, a woman who sewed a mask to keep me safe.
I am sure that in your life, there is someone special who you'd like to thank as well.
Although most people have been ordered to stay home, thank goodness for the workers of essential services who deserve some free pizza.
"I mean everyone loves it, right? It's a comfort food and I think that's what the public needs right now is comfort," said Mikey Lukich, the owner of East Coast Pizza in Cardiff.
Mikey is all for honoring hospital and grocery store workers, but he told us, "There is a supply chain behind them. Like, the people trucking the food to the grocery stores for the families to eat every night and all of that fun stuff - I feel like they are not getting any of the love."
So Mikey, along with three of his biggest supporters, offered up lunch to those who they're calling "the forgotten front liners."
"We got the people who work at the gas station. We got the postal workers and the people who are delivering everything and keeping our shelves stocked," said Pam Breeder.
She is legally blind, but hit the streets with her children Chandler and Nicole to serve hot food on a cold day.
"Would you like some lunch on us?" said Chandler.
He gave a free lunch to a woman cleaning offices and bathrooms.
What would we do without janitorial services and mail carriers?
"How about a nice hot lunch on us?" said Chandler while giving lunch to a postal worker who said in return, "Thank you. It's always tough out here."
One block down, another pizza delivery. If you have a dental emergency, people like Dr. Deborah Morgan are still there for you.
"You put your patients ahead of yourself, you know. If someone is hurting, it's my job to help them," said Dr. Deborah Morgan.
Amado's job to fill the grocery store. We found him delivering frozen food to Seaside Market. This time, it was Nicole's chance to offer pizza.
"This is for you," said Nicole.
Armado replied, "Thank you so much."
I asked him, "Why are you working so hard?"
He answered, "For you guys!"
Delivering pizza may be sweet as pie, but it's not necessary to Send the Love. That's where you come in.
All you need to do is text us a picture of your unsung hero to News 8 at 858-571-8888 and tell us who they are and what they are doing to make the world a better place.
We gave pizza to construction workers and a person delivering UPS packages in the rain.
"Dude, you guys are the best!" he said.
Heroes are all around us, like security officer Ronnie Jones, an Air Force and Army veteran.
"You know I think we just need to follow the rules and stick together just like we did in the military," said Ronnie.
Pam Breeder may have put it best: "It's going to be okay, San Diego. We are going to make it through. We just need to be patient and show the love."
If you have someone you'd like to Send the Love to, all you need to do is TEXT a picture of your hero to 858-571-8888. Make sure to include the person's name and what they do or you can send the picture in a message to the CBS 8 Facebook page.
You can also find discounts and deals for your unsung heroes at East Coast Pizza in Cardiff.