Recently the team at GemCap in Dublin took it upon themselves to cook lunch for some families with an unwell child in their family, who needed and deserved some support from their community.
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland is to provide a House to support the families of children who are seriously ill in hospital. A Ronald McDonald House provides accommodation and a caring and supportive environment for families whose children are hospitalised or undergoing medical treatment at the Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), Crumlin (Home – OLCHC). The House enables families to stay close to their child for as long as they are undergoing treatment in CHI and, since it opened November 2004, they have provided accommodation, care and support for in excess of 4,200 families from all over Ireland.
As part of their fundraising and volunteering program, they offer volunteers the option to cook for families (Cook for Families Program – Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland (rmhc.ie)). As a way of providing some relief to families under immense strain, volunteers provide them with a healthy, home-cooked meal after a long and often stressful day at the hospital. With a hot meal provided, families have one less thing to worry about. As Cooking4Families volunteers, our group have:
- Planned a menu (lunch – main & dessert)
- Fundraised towards our Cooking4Families event
- Shopped for the menu items
- Prepared meals in the House kitchen for the families
Ronald McDonald House is an incredible charity providing much-needed support to the families of ill children. Our team of volunteers are honoured to have been able to make a difference to people who really need it, not just by raising money but also donating their time and skills.
You can learn more about the Cooking4Families programme on the Ronald McDonald House website.
