Ronald McDonald House of South Florida

We had the pleasure of «adopting a meal“‘today at Ronald McDonald House which is temporary housing for families of children with serious illness being treated at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital across the road.
The building looks like a small apartment complex with the bottom floor housing the kitchen, dining room, laundry area and office. Then above are the rooms which are typical of hotel rooms. Outside the kitchen is a very large picnic area with tables and chairs where meals can be eaten in addition to the dining room.
Today’s experience was terrific. We had the use of the kitchen which has 3 stove tops and ovens and plenty of counter space to work. They provide the pots and pans and you provide the food as well as paper plates, plastic utensils and cups. (We actually brought along disposable baking tins to cook in so there was less clean up needed).
While our food was cooking in the ovens, we had the opportunity to help them sort through some food donations (which are pretty plentiful this time of year being the holidays), as well as put away various items in the kitchen (there are so many different people using this kitchen it seems hard to keep organized — a volunteer could easily go in to organize this kitchen I am sure).
A couple of notes for future volunteers: the ovens are not the best so don’t plan to make something like a turkey or a roast if you are only going to be there two hours. Also, be prepared for the house guests to be in/​out of the kitchen while you are there. (In some cases they were needing to use the stove top at the same time) this was not a problem in the least, it’s just something to be aware of.
In addition to cooking a meal, as a volunteer you can offer assistance in many ways — cleaning, yard work, office work etc. or donating products needed on their wish list (go to their website — it’s anything from trash bags, cleaning supplies all the way down to fresh bread, milk, fruits and vegetables.)
I’m sure a parent with a sick child appreciates not having to worry about preparing a meal for them self after spending hours in a hospital. I’m sure they appreciate a «home cooked» meal over hospital cafeteria food as well. There are even children staying here who are being treated at the hospital but not «in-​patients».
For me, as someone who loves to cook and finds cooking to be a very nurturing experience, this was a very rewarding volunteer day. One that I will continue to do when my schedule allows.

I’ve had the great pleasure of seeing first hand what exactly the RMH does.
Chances are — you’ve been to a McDonalds in the last decade and have seen the little boxes to collect any spare change you might have. These donations go to fund the RMH — so what exactly do they do? A LOT.
First off — it’s actual housing! There are 350 RMHs nationally. Parents with ill children can rent a room (I believe it’s $ 20 a night). This allows parents to stay close to their children (this house is literally across the street from the hospital) and not have to worry about long commutes. The facility includes a living room, kitchen and laundry room. All of them immaculately clean. The actual rooms are spacious and look like any hotel room does — two beds and a sofa (or a crib), bathroom, closet, dressers, etc.
The fine folks of RMH try and make it as easy on the parents as possible. They have some great programs such as the Adopt-​A-​Meal program that allows local members of the community to come in and cook a nice meal for the residents. We got a group together recently and made a lunch for the families — while most of them were at the hospital during the day the staff was so thankful that when they returned back they would have a nice meal waiting for them. They mentioned the fact that that parents don’t have to worry about cooking — or even going to buy groceries — is a huge weight off of their shoulders.
Everyone I have ever met from RMH has had an ear to ear smile. The folks here genuinely love what they do. The families that stay here become part of their extended family — they see the children grow up — and hopefully get better with time. It’s all pretty incredible.
I recommend everyone try and make it out the house to volunteer — or at least think twice about dropping some change in those containers next time you are getting a Big Mac (or Filet ‘o Fish if you are anything like me… don’t judge, they are delicious).
Oh and one perk of going in to volunteer (besides the warm and fuzzies of course…) is that they have a Ronald McDonald at the entrance you can snap a cool photo with =D

I can’t think of enough good things to say about this wonderful charity.
For those who don’t know, the Ronald McDonald House provides housing for families with critically ill children, so they can spend as much time as possible with their child. It offers a warm homelike environment to people who who need as much support as they can get. Families may be there for one night, weeks, months or even years, depending on the condition of the child. While the House asks for a $ 20 donation, if the parents can’t pay, they are not turned away.
The rooms here, both the common and private areas, are beautifully decorated. We were there on Christmas Eve and every room was decorated for the holidays, with trees, snowmen, miniature villages, etc. The bedroom we saw had two cushy beds, a comfy arm chair, and a dresser. There were fresh towels laid out on the bed and a gift bag with snack items and small toiletries. It was warm and inviting. There are common areas where families can gather and children can play.
We were there to cook a lunch meal for the families, there were a total of 24 people staying at the House. The kitchen was huge, with three ovens, shared pantry items, big fridges and a small locked cabinet for each family. That being said, they really need some new equipment and some repair on some appliances. We tried one of the ovens, which didn’t heat properly, so it took a long time to cook things that should have been fairly quick to prepare. There was a shortage of decent cutlery and other cooking essentials. There is also a big laundry where residents can do their laundry, with all the necessary items being supplied.
We met several of the staff members, they were all truly caring, loving people who do a very stressful job with the best of attitudes. It’s the kind of place that, if I were younger, I would love to work.
So, let’s dispel a myth. With the McDonald’s name on this house, one is led to believe that they are supported by the huge McDonald’s corporation. Such is not the case. Regionally, only about 10% of the operating money comes from McDonalds. This leaves a huge hole that has to be filled by public donations and fundraisers. We went to their holiday fund raiser a couple of weeks ago. It was a nice event, with lots of food and entertainment. But the fundraising was inadequate. The silent auction and raffle didn’t make nearly as much money as they could have. After looking at the financial statements online, we found that my daughters school district used to make much more at their annual auction than this wonderful charity.
So, they need all kinds of things that you might not have considered — things like kitchen basics (such as rolls of aluminum foil), laundry and cleaning supplies, personal items like soaps and lotions, bath towels, etc. They also love to have donations of fresh fruit and vegetables to augment the things in the pantry. There are so many ways to donate!
Everyone should make some time and fix a meal for this harried and haggard parents. Or find a different way to help them out, there are plenty listed on their website. Think how you would feel if you had a critical ill child and take it from there.

I love going to all of the events that the Ronald Mcdonald House of South Florida coordinates. They have an amazing staff and the volunteers are sweet as well. We went to an event called «Home for the Holidays» and it was a nice, cozy event with lots of great restaurants to try meals from. My kids really liked all of the entertainment they had for them, and us adults, really enjoyed the «grown up» drinks. I loved the way they handle everything and how supportive everyone is. I will definitely return to any other event they coordinate for this great charity.