Verdugo Hills’ nurses eat free with a special delivery from Porto’s Bakery

The nurses at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital were treated to a free lunch on Tuesday delivered by the owner of Porto’s Bakery and Café in honor of National Nurses Week.

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Betty Porto, one of three siblings who run the family business, delivered boxes of lunch to a few hundred nurses around midday.

Her visit was just as much of a treat as the complimentary meal, said Theresa Murphy, the hospital’s chief nursing officer.

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Betty Porto of Porto’s Bakery passes out books to nurses after they received lunch from Porto’s for Nurses Week, at USC Verdugo Hills Medical Center in Glendale on Tuesday,May 10, 2016. Two hundred lunches were made possible by a generous donation from foundation member Bill Pounders.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Betty Porto of Porto’s Bakery takes a photo with registered nurses, from left, Linda Washburn, Maria Abaca and Jocelyn Chow, before they received lunch from Porto’s for Nurses Week, at USC Verdugo Hills Medical Center in Glendale on Tuesday,May 10, 2016. Two hundred lunches were made possible by a generous donation from foundation member Bill Pounders.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Chief nursing officer Theresa Murphy, center, passes out lunch from Porto’s for Nurses Week, at USC Verdugo Hills Medical Center in Glendale on Tuesday,May 10, 2016. Betty Porto stopped by with the lunches, two hundred of which were made possible by a generous donation from foundation member Bill Pounders.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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From left donor Bill Pounders, Betty Porto of Porto’s Bakery, and CEO Keith Hobbs before passing out free lunch to nurses at the hospital from Porto’s for Nurses Week, at USC Verdugo Hills Medical Center in Glendale on Tuesday,May 10, 2016. Two hundred lunches were made possible by a generous donation from foundation member Pounders.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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From left, registered nurses Sheila Bender, Brandi Hill and Genelita Ancheta with lunch provided by Porto’s Bakery for Nurses Week, at USC Verdugo Hills Medical Center in Glendale on Tuesday,May 10, 2016. Betty Porto came by with the lunches, two hundred of which were made possible by a generous donation from foundation member Bill Pounders.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Betty Porto of Porto’s Bakery, second row center, with hospital staff before passing out lunch from Porto’s for Nurses Week, at USC Verdugo Hills Medical Center in Glendale on Tuesday,May 10, 2016. Two hundred lunches were made possible by a generous donation from foundation member Bill Pounders, second from right.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

“We were all very delighted that she stopped by,” Murphy said. “[Porto has] been such a supporter of our hospital and the services that we provide the community. She’s so well loved. She’s like a celebrity here.”

Nursing staff flocked around Porto to take photographs with her as well, Murphy said.

Including a later meal drop-off for the evening shift, about 500 nurses received a free meal for the day.

The lunch was made possible through a donation from La Cañada Flintridge resident Bill Pounders, a former member of the hospital’s foundation board whose sister was also a nurse.

He also provided a few hundred free copies of “The Florence Prescription,” a book about accountability in healthcare, which were distributed to the nurses.

National Nurses Week runs through Thursday, which will be the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian