Photographer Frances Freyberg holds open studio to benefit Mission Hospice

Menlo Park-based photographer Frances Freyberg will host a Silicon Valley Open Studio (SVOS) event to benefit local nonprofit Mission Hospice & Home Care. The free event will take place Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6, 2012, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. at 856 Partridge Avenue in Menlo Park. All her profits from the weekend’s sales will support Mission Hospice’s hospice house project.

Most hospice patients are cared for in the comfort of their own homes or in the homes of loved ones, where they can die with dignity, surrounded by friends and family. Today in San Mateo County, when an individual requires hospice care outside of the home, his or her only options are a residential care facility, a nursing home, or the hospital — none of which is specifically designed for hospice care.

Mission Hospice’s vision is to offer a peaceful, caring and home-like alternative for patients whose end-of-life needs cannot be managed in their own homes. The environment would provide medical and nursing care, as well as emotional and spiritual support for patients and their families.

Frances Freyberg, whose photographs can be found in galleries and private collections, specializes in vibrant color portraits of people, wildlife, nature and architecture from her travels to more than 60 countries. She spent 2008 traveling around the world and building an extensive educational weblog with photos , This year’s Open Studio event will also feature photos from her 2011 trips to New Zealand, Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Photo “Otorohanga Sunset” by Frances Freyberg