She wakes up at 5 a.m. to finish cooking after spending hours preparing the night before.
The need for the weekly meals is clear, she said. What began as a dozen plates has more than doubled, and she now makes 30 breakfasts each week. Her aim is to offer people living without stable housing a meal that feels like home cooking.
"Homeless people don't have a lot of choices. And so I do things where they see the plate, and it's colorful," she said. "I want it to be appetizing. I do this like I do it for my family. What would I want my family to be receiving?"
She tries to make the meals both healthy and appealing. This morning, each plate includes fruit, pastries, sausage and a burrito filled with scrambled egg and beef.
People donate money and food, but Mestrovich does all the shopping and cooking herself. She describes herself as having "unlimited compassion."
"All my life, I've had compassion, and I've always wanted to help," she said. "When I was between two and three years old, I remember hearing a voice — it wasn't my parents or anything, I was alone in a room — that said 'You were born to help.' I trust that."
Mestrovich is busy with volunteer work that stretches far beyond Monday mornings. Each year, she transforms into the Christmas Fairy and passes out toys and clothes to those in need. She also runs Superkid Power, Inc., a nonprofit focused on teaching kids compassion and other life skills.
She was inspired to start preparing meals after buying blankets and warm clothes for Ashland's homeless residents after a winter storm.
Now, as she cooks, she always sings a blessing.
"I love my heart and soul. I love all humanity. Join hearts and souls together. Love, peace, and harmony. Love, peace, and harmony. Blessings to all," she sings.
Mestrovich then heads to the night lawn, an area in Ashland where homeless people camp.
People there know her as the woman with colorful hats who always brings “breakfast made with love.”
Some people line up at Mestrovich's trunk as soon as she parks. For the rest, she walks around from tent to tent, knocking and handing out plates. She brings a bag of toys for one resident's daughter and passes out coats to others.
She asks everyone if they're warm enough and gets complimented on her hat.
Denise Gerkey has been homeless for a year and a half and formerly worked as a radiology technician.
She thinks there needs to be a better plan to address homelessness, which she calls "the most difficult experience of my life."
"It's just walking by homeless people and thinking like it's just the normal. Like it's becoming a normal mental thing that we just accept," she said. "It's really not a political issue. It's not a financial issue. It's a humanitarian issue, and it's getting out of control, and it's crazy."
On Dec. 5, the city will open a new winter shelter run by the local nonprofit Opportunities for Housing, Resources, and Assistance. Meanwhile, OHRA's year-round, 72-bed shelter is consistently full.
Despite the gray, rainy morning, dozens of people are still camped on the night lawn, and volunteers, like Mestrovich, are trying to help.
