IT'S A LIFESAVER PROGRAM PROVIDES MEALS AND COMFORT, TOO.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

But about 300 local senior citizens and invalids who cannot get out for meals might disagree, because for them it's the mid-day meal that brings nutrition for both stomach and soul.

The food comes from the kitchen of the Santa Clarita Senior Center, but the human touch is straight from volunteers who work the Home Delivered Meals program for the Santa Clarita Committee on Aging.

Cathie Rydall was recently honored for her dedication to the program - it's been a 16-year commitment with no end in sight. The effervescent blond woman who pilots one of the center's six ``hotbox'' trucks (named for the oven/refrigeration units on the back) has quite the extended family in a community of homebound souls.

For Rydall, there is a strong personal motivation behind her altruism. Her father had been homebound and her mother worked, so he depended on home-delivered-meal volunteers for his mid-day nutrition.

``I know how important it was for him to have that meal and connection with someone during the day,'' she said. ``So I told him that I was going to pay back for what they did for him.''

She quit her full-time job as an interior designer in 1988 and dedicated herself to delivering meals on Tuesday and Thursdays. When she returned to part-time work, she made sure her boss knew that working on Thursdays was out of the question.

``I didn't want to give up on my Thursday people,'' she said. ``I'd miss them too much. This is a feel-good thing. You see a lot of sad, scary things and you know you're doing good. Sometimes, you're the only contact they have. Some of the seniors plan their day around the food delivery.''

Rydall drives the Canyon Country route, which is the longest in miles and in number of deliveries. When everyone takes a delivery, she's bringing lunch to 50 different places.

As she works her way through a multilevel housing complex, Rydall is stopped by a younger woman outside a client's door.

``We really appreciate this,'' said Sherry Vittrup, an Acton woman providing hospice care for her mother at the complex. ``My mother is dying. Doctors tell us she has four to six weeks. This is a lifesaver for us. We so appreciate your help.''

In the truck's front seat, Rydall keeps a goodie bag that includes dog biscuits (large and small - she knows each client's pets as well) and kitty treats. Also a bag of hard candies. She's learned to be prepared for everything, even a wayward goose that went after her in a client's front yard.

The program's clients include the handicapped and frail, the elderly with no transportation or those with health problems that preclude going out without assistance. Some are widowed. Many have the meal service arranged by their children who are working or live outside the area.

As she travels her route, Rydall occasionally brings back to the truck a small brown envelope containing a donation for the meal.

The suggested donation is $2.50 per meal but on average the return is actually less than 75 cents, said Brad Berens, the center's executive director. To make up the difference, the program depends on funding from grants and special events such as the annual Wine Auction.

Berens said the program runs at a deficit of between $80,000 to $110,000 a year, when insurance, gas and maintenance costs are included. In addition to the home-delivered meals, the center serves more than 200 seniors daily in a congregate meal program Monday through Friday.

``God bless you,'' one client shouts as Rydall walks down the hallway.

``We used to go into some really raunchy places, some trailer parks that were pretty run down,'' she said. ``The food we gave them was the only food they ever saw.''

Support services sometimes send out care packages with the meals, consisting of goods donated from local grocery stores.

Rydall knows each person's idiosyncrasies and special needs and keeps a watchful eye during the brief moments she is inside the home. She looks for behavior that's out of the ordinary or a slow response that could suggest the need for a follow-up call or visit.

``We're the eyes of the family,'' Rydall said. ``If we see something unusual, we can have special services call them and let them know.''

The program also has been a lifesaver for some clients; all the volunteers can tell stories of people they found in need of medical help or who got themselves into a fix and were rescued by the drivers.

Asked if she has ever lost a client, Rydall hesitated.

``A lot of them,'' she said. ``That part is really hard. When you see them go downhill, you only hope the family sees it, too, and makes them comfortable. I've stood outside and bawled. It's especially hard when they seem to be OK and then they go.''

``I'll admit, I get attitude when I see my seniors who have family and I'm taking them holiday meals,'' she said as she drove away from a gated community where the guard waved a friendly goodbye. ``I can't believe they don't have the time to come and make a nice dinner for them or pick them up and take them out for the holiday.''

Retiree Roy Sidles invited Rydall in for a bite to eat, having fixed himself a snack while he was waiting for his meal.

``This program is quite extraordinary,'' he said. ``I feel honored and gratified for the service this has provided.''

At one of her next stops a man had a history of mischief, Rydall explained. ``He used to sit in his wheelchair without any pants on to get attention, so they told him it was simple: no pants, no food. He got the message.''

But when Rydall returned from delivering his lunch, her face showed concern.

``He was confused and not coherent,'' she said, dialing the center from her cell phone. ``He just doesn't seem right.''

Although she makes sure not to socialize with her clients outside of lunchtime, Rydall takes the extra steps to make sure their lives are a little bit brighter when she leaves.

``There are little things people might ask us to do,'' she said. ``Like one woman likes me to warm up her coffee, or needs help to get her mail or another man tells me what kind of kitty treats his cat likes. You just make time for it.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Volunteer Cathie Rydall brings Tove Anderson her lunch as part of the Home Delivered Meals program.

(2) Margaret Macintosh greets meal program volunteer Cathie Rydall.

(3 -- color) Volunteer Cathie Rydall walks quickly through a senior living center to deliver meals. The food comes from the kitchen of the Santa Clarita Senior Center.

David Crane/Staff Photographer