| Meal Program |
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Meal Program OverviewMeals prepared with compassion and caring are the ultimate “comfort food.” For families experiencing the serious illness of a child, finding the time to prepare food can be a serious challenge. We invite you and your group to lift that burden by preparing a delicious home-cooked meal for our Ronald McDonald House guests! Access our meal calendar by signing up to become a meal volunteer - click here to sign up! Requirements for Meal Teams Meals are served nightly at 5:30 p.m., and breakfast is served on weekends at 9:30 am. We ask that meal groups be onsite at the House at least an hour and a half in advance of the meal for a mandatory food safety review, and that all food be ready to serve by the set mealtimes. Groups will generally need an additional hour to clean up after the meal. The ideal group size is 8-10 volunteers. For the safety of our guest families, no more than 12 "chefs," inclusive of children, are permitted. Meals should be prepared to anticipate 30-40 guests. Many guests will wander in to the kitchen during serving hours to eat, but many more will eat throughout the night from the leftovers. We have an in-House cookbook with ideas for feeding large groups, and you are welcome to come and look for ideas! There are also plenty of websites with suggestions for cooking for crowds, such as http://www.bigrecipes.com/ Meals must be prepared onsite. Unless the food has been donated by a commercial kitchen (such as a restaurant), all foods must be prepared and served in the House kitchen. Participants prepare a menu and provide all their own ingredients. Please plan to serve a complete meal (protein, starch, vegetable). Please bring a list of all of the ingredients/copy of the recipes you are using to prepare your meal to help us accommodate guests with food allergies. The House kitchen is equipped with all the tools you will need to prepare, cook and serve your meal, such as pots, pans, dishes and more. We ask that participants not solicit donations on behalf of Ronald McDonald House to fund your meals. Children and youth are welcome to participate in the meal preparation program, but anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult helper. There must be at least one adult for every three youth. The House does have outdoor barbeque grills for use in warm weather. Groups may be asked to supply propane tanks for use of the grill. Other Questions Please contact Ari Harris at 704-335-1191 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for additional information! |
