On Saturday night a packed house attended The Network of Care annual crab feed in Antioch to help raise funds to purchase food that will be provided to families who have children in the hospital.
The Network of Care provides meal support to families in crisis when their child is suddenly hospitalized. These families do not have the time, energy, or presence of mind to look after their own needs, so The Network of Care provides for them and allows them to devote more attention to their child.
The organization was created by Jim and Janet Frazier after a tragic accident on December 16, 2000 where their daughters were in a car accident. The Network of Care program was formed in January 2004 to preserve the memory of Stephanie Marie Frazier, who lost her life in an automobile accident at the age of 20
According to Janet Frazier, their demand has increased 26% in terms of demand while last year alone helped more than 29,000 families.
Assemblyman Tim Grayson with Janet Frazier
“We can only continue that because of people like you who come to support this event, so thank you so much. Some of you wonder about the bags, my Chevron family knows all about it as they spend some of their lunches packing bags for Children’s Hospital in Oakland,” said Frazier. “Chevron is such a strong supporter. The other group is a partnership with the County Special Education program at three local high schools which make our distribution possible. The student interns shop for the food and sort and pack the meals. They then distribute them which help them learn the skills which helps them transition from high school to adulthood.”
Since 2004, we have helped over 210,000 families said Frazier.
For more information on visit www.thenetworkofcare.org
Our Story
On December 16, 2000, our lives changed. Our daughters, Stephanie (age 20) and Lindsey (age 17) were involved in a tragic car accident. We frantically drove 1½ hours to the hospital, leaving with only the clothes on our back.
Our oldest daughter Stephanie did not survive the accident; our youngest daughter Lindsey was in critical condition. It was an endless day and night for us. Sometime in the darkness, Janet rose from her chair to check on Lindsey and nearly fainted.
A kind nurse asked when we had last eaten and we certainly could not remember. All we had inside was grief and worry. Since the cafeteria was closed and we did not want to leave Lindsey’s side, the kind nurse shared her sandwich with us, which gave us the physical strength we needed.
We think of those first hours and the nurse who did something so small, yet so meaningful. That simple Act of Kindness made all the difference in the world to us, knowing there are people that care.
The foundation was established in Stephanie’s memory to support others in their time of need. We operate exclusively on donations. Our caring network of volunteers purchase the food items, fill and deliver the bags to the hospitals in our network. Lindsey has recovered from her injuries and is very involved in this cause.
– Janet Frazier
Safety Improvements
The Frazier family has been tireless advocates for safety improvements for the section of Highway 50 where the accident occurred. Safety-related changes have been made to the highway resulting in a decrease of accidents. This section of Highway 50 is named the Stephanie Marie Frazier Memorial Highway.
For more on The Network of Care, visit: www.thenetworkofcare.org
