Meal Group

About Dinner for the Families

Thank you for your interest in preparing dinner for the families at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham. The strains on a parent when a child is critically ill are enormous and exhausting-- financially, physically and emotionally. But the Ronald McDonald House serves to lessen those strains by having a home cooked meal ready when the parents return to the House after a long day at the hospital. By offering the chance to sit down to a home cooked meal, you truly make the Ronald McDonald House a “home-away-from-home” for families who need it the most.

What to Expect

  1. Plan to feed about 50 people.
  2. All food must be prepared here at the House or purchased from a USDA inspected facility.
  3. Please bring paper plates and plastic forks, spoons and knives.
  4. Prepare and serve the meal at 6:00 P.M. and brunch at 10:00 A.M.
  5. General clean up of kitchen and meal area is expected.
  6. Place leftovers in the house refrigerator in plastic containers and date and label food.

Setting up, Serving & Cleaning

It is of utmost importance to bring enough people to help you set up, serve and clean up any dishes that may have been used. Our kitchen is adequately equipped with 2 stoves/ovens, 3 dishwashers, sinks, and plenty of counter space with a generous assortment of pots, pans, and other cooking utensils. Our meals are served buffet style; paper plates and plastic silverware are generally placed at the end of the table, the serving bowls along the center, with paper cups placed near where the drinks are being served.  When the meal is ready to be served, ask the office staff to notify the house families that brunch or dinner is ready to be served. Please feel free to dine with our families – they welcome the opportunity to visit with fresh faces. Usually after 30 to 45 minutes, all of our families planning to eat will have done so. Any leftovers can be placed in the house refrigerators. Please label and date the food.

What Should We Cook?

We will be more than happy to assist your group with menu ideas. For many, dinner at the House is the only chance most of our families have to truly sit down and relax. Your kindness in providing a complete hot meal means so much to them and is generally one of the memories they carry with them. We welcome your creativity in menu selection -- our only request is that it be a complete meal. A complete meal usually can be as simple as a lettuce and tomato salad, roasted chicken, rice pilaf, green beans and dessert. Please keep in mind we have many spaghetti and lasagna meals.

Information about Our Families

Our families come from various backgrounds and ethnicities. The common thread among them all is they have a sick child having various treatments -- ranging from scheduled checkups to long term care -- resulting in extended stays away from home. Many of our families are under a lot of stress and appreciate coming back to the House after an exhausting day at the hospital to a relaxed, hot, home cooked meal. While many of our families may not make it back in time for our scheduled meal, the saved leftovers in our House refrigerators can be re-warmed for them to enjoy at a later time.

Thank you in advance for donating your effort and time to cook for our families. Your kind gesture helps us build upon the legacy of caring at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham. To find out more information about volunteering for Family Meals, contact Karen Morgan  at 919-286-9305.