Volunteer Groups Give Families a Boost

When families come to the house, it seems like simple pleasures are lost. They focus so much time on their child that many routine tasks quickly become luxuries. For instance a hot, homemade meal is a treasure. Hospital and fast food is no match for something freshly made in the kitchen! At the Sioux Fall’s houses, we are privileged to have so many great volunteers who participate in our Caring Cooks program, ensuring families one of those things we normally take for granted in a meal ready to go for dinner (and leftovers!).

Caught washing dishes - thank you!

A recent group volunteered from The Crossing Church. Jill was one of seven volunteer chefs and she remembered time spent in Minneapolis a few years ago as a guest at the Ronald McDonald House there. Her sixteen-month-old son Thomas had a heart defect that required open heart surgery. As he experienced his surgery and recovered at the hospital, it was a relief to their family not to have the expense of meals during their stay and to be freed of some cooking duties.

The small group’s visit was also a day of maximized service to the house beings that earlier that afternoon a box and bag of pop tabs were dropped off.  Still in their plastic baggies, the tabs became and adventure as five-year-old Liam and three-year-old brother Josiah were thrilled to open and dump the individual baggies of tabs.  Their mom Char was close by to answer questions like, “What do they use these for?” in explaining that when Josiah was in the hospital for respiratory needs they lived in the neighborhood, but many people who stay at Sioux Falls hospitals are from out of town. 

We have many groups from churches, businesses, and organizations that prepare meals for our families, and we encourage anyone to come to the houses and prepare an entrée and fixings of choice. It really is a small gesture that’s important to the families. It is a way to give them a lot of joy in a very simple way!