The Meals Matter Program Makes a Difference for Families

Mother and Daughter enjoying breakfast at the Ronald McDonald House Ann Arbor

by Kim Kelly

“Dinner time was the one constant during my son’s ordeal. Sometimes just something small like that makes all the difference.”

~Grateful RMHCAA Mother

Imagine being hours from your home and family, in a hospital room with your critically ill child. You are anxious, stressed, and worried. The last thing on your mind is where you’re going to sleep that night or where you will find something for dinner. The mission of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor (RMHCAA) is to provide a home away from home for families of children experiencing a serious illness or injury requiring hospitalization. Families stay as long as they need, at no cost, while their children are receiving treatment.

Community support is instrumental to the organization’s ability to provide the necessary support, comfort, and care to allow family members to focus on their sick child.

Meals matter to the families, and a dinner is so much more than the food served. Sitting down to a warm, freshly prepared meal provides a few minutes of relief from the constant beeping of machines in their child’s hospital room. It provides a sense of normalcy and relief after an emotionally difficult day, and it helps to lessen a family’s stress by saving them time and money.

Making a meal for RMHCAA’s families is one of the most meaningful ways community groups can support them during a difficult time in their lives. There are three easy ways to help provide meals:

1. Create a wonderful home-cooked meal for Ronald

McDonald House families in the comfort of the fully equipped Main House kitchen under the guidance of the organization’s certified food handlers. Make a taxdeductible donation of $250 and the RMHCAA staff will create the menu and purchase the ingredients. On your scheduled day, all you need to do is show up ready to cook! Up to six people can participate at a time. Menus are amenable to all cooking levels and provide families with a nutritious meal with fresh ingredients.

2. Consider making a donation to RMHCAA’s Meals Matter program to provide meals to families on days they don’t have a dinner group. Donations to the Meals Matter program helps to defray the cost of purchasing meals. Gift cards to local area restaurants are another easy way to support families going through a difficult time; gift cards provide a special treat and allow the family to order a meal at their convenience. Arrange for a meal to be delivered to the families at the Ronald McDonald House from a local restaurant of your choice. This is a great way to also give some love to a local restaurant. Dinners need to be individually packaged for health and safety reasons.

Since opening their doors in 1985, RMHCAA has served more than 30,500 families who face what’s most likely the most challenging time of their lives. The organization has two Houses; the Main House located across the street from C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital has 31 rooms, and the Mott House on the tenth floor of the hospital has 12 rooms. Both Houses serve families 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Some families are far from home, some come from across town. All are grateful for a warm meal at the end of a long day. All are appreciative of the donors, volunteers, and staff who make their stay possible and help them stay close to their sick child.

For more information on RMHCAA’s Meals Matter program visit www.rmhcannarbor.org and go to “Give the Gift of Meals” under “How to Help,” or contact Nancy Bailey at dinner@rmhcannarbor.org.

Kim Kelly is the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor. She earned her BBA in Marketing and Management at Northwood University. Before leaving to lead RMHCAA, Kim was with the Oakwood Foundation as the Director of Special Events for multiple healthcarerelated projects. In 2005, Kim founded the 360 Event Group and was responsible for the creation and execution of the Ronald McDonald House Gala, a large annual fundraising event providing operational funds to the Ronald McDonald Houses of Ann Arbor and Detroit. Over the last twelve years at Ronald McDonald House Charities Ann Arbor, Kim has led the organization through a tremendous growth period.