FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Danette Goulet

She spent the last three years abroad, sailing the South Pacific with her

husband and son. When her 17-year-old son wanted to finish high school,

the family returned to their home port of Newport Beach.

Now Lillian Fredericksen has embarked on an adventure of a different

kind.

Three to five days a week, she hops in her car and heads over to Hoag

Hospital. There, she picks up six to eight meals, which she then delivers

to people who are unable to cook for themselves.

Fredericksen has been a volunteer for the Friends in Service to Humanity

Mobile Meals program since January, when she read about the program in a

newsletter.

Friends in Service to Humanity (FISH) is a nonprofit organization that

has been helping families in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine since

1968. The Mobile Meals program delivers food prepared by Hoag Hospital to

nearly 100 homes in the Newport Harbor area.

“The average person we take them to are the elderly people who aren’t

able to make their own. Or if they have Alzheimer’s, they forget to eat,”

she said. “Or even someone who just got out of the hospital.”

Each person, she explained, receives two meals -- one hot and one cold --

by 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. The meals are tailored to varying

dietary needs, include juice or milk and always a desert.

The best part of the job, Fredericksen said, is all the fascinating

people she encounters.

Fredericksen and her husband sold their physical therapy business and

retired, so she has plenty of time to devote to Mobile Meals clients.

“I get to meet a lot of interesting people,” she said. “One woman comes

to mind. I’m not exactly sure what she did earlier in life, but her whole

house is filled with artifacts. It was so interesting to look through her

house and talk to her.”

And when the Girl Scouts made cards for each of the Mobile Meal clients

for Easter, it was Fredericksen and other drivers who enjoyed the

benefits.

“When I gave the cards to those people, it really brightened their

lives,” she said. “Then you have the people who are older and they look

forward to their visit. I may be the only person they see all day.”

Fredericksen is happy to be that person.

FYI

Anyone interested in volunteering for Friends in Service to Humanity or

the Mobile Meals program can call (949) 642-6060, or visit the Web site

at o7 https://www.fishharbor.orgf7 .