First Hug – The Association for the Care of Abandoned Babies is dedicated to filling the void created by the absence of parental nurturing and to providing the love and care that is so essential for babies’ development. Whenever a baby is hospitalized without the presence of family at a hospital in Israel, First Hug is asked to immediately call in a group of volunteer “mothers” who spend hours every day providing that same nurturing love and care parents normally provide. Utilizing a wide network of hundreds of specially trained volunteers, in times of crisis (such as war) the organization provides indispensable support not only to infants and children, but also to civilians and soldiers who are wounded and hospitalized without the presence of family.