RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE’S MEAL PROGRAM

Pizza for Ronald MacDonald House guests.

Ronald McDonald House of the Greater Hudson Valley, located on the campus of the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, is bringing back its Meals that Heal program after nearly seven months of Covid restrictions that kept its kitchen closed to volunteers. The program provides all families currently staying at Ronald McDonald House with two meals a day while they are caring for their sick or injured children. After being closed for a few months families are slowly being brought back into the House and their needs are growing for donated meals and volunteers to cook them.

According to Brittany Moretti, program operations manager in charge of Meals that Heal, “due to Covid regulations there is a call for help with meal donations in addition to the need for volunteers to come in again and prepare meals on site.” Interested volunteers are now welcomed back into the kitchen at Ronald McDonald House but some changes to the program needed to be instituted to keep everyone safe. Volunteer groups may now consist of up to two individuals at a time and volunteers must be over the age of 18. The program requests that groups commit to a monthly meal schedule for a minimum of three months. Individuals must be the same two people for all volunteer shifts and groups are asked to adhere to the updated safety protocols.

For people interested in volunteering but are still social distancing and don”™t want to come into the kitchen there are still ways to get involved and support the meal program.  A donation can be made on the Meals that Heal campaign page and people can pick a recipe for others to make in the House kitchen or pick a day to drop off a store- or restaurant-made meal for the families. Either way people choose to support the program their donations will help to provide a warm meal for all families staying at the house.

All proceeds from Meals that Heal will support the mission of Ronald McDonald House: Keeping Families Together and Close to the Care and Resources They Need. All donations made are 100% tax deductible.  If you are interested in supporting Meals that Heal sign up at https://give.rmh-ghv.org/campaigns/5053-meals-that-heal.