You Deserve a Break Today: Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House

Last month, the Give Back Girls had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. This organization provides a supportive environment for families whose children are undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals. Located across the street from Yale Children's Hospital, this house serves as a comforting place for families during challenging times. They have a special volunteer opportunity called "Meals from the Heart". This program allows you to prepare a meal in their kitchen or have a meal delivered from a restaurant. Of course, we chose to get a group of the girls together and head to New Haven. Chefs Arlene, Michelle, Angie, Johanna, Sue were ready to cook.

But wait! We have news….meet our newest volunteer, Sarah. Sarah reached out to us after moving back to Connecticut. She was looking to get into volunteering and she came to the right place. Sarah jumped right in and completed tasks with a smile! We look forward to Sarah joining us for her second experience when she will become a full member of the Give Back Girls. Welcome Sarah, we are so glad you joined us.

Back to the kitchen! We wanted to plan something special for the families staying there. Our planning process actually started during the Winter months, while we were having lunch during the Special Olympics at Powder Ridge. The only thing we were sure about at that time was that we wanted Johanna to make her famous flan for dessert (Johanna has her own flan business called The Flan Lady). After much discussion, we decided on a homemade pasta dinner with flan and cookies for dessert.

The responsibilities were delegated and we arrived with shopping bags full of groceries and pots and pans.

Arlene was smart to bring her wagon to transport the items easily. To add to the fun, Arlene made all of us aprons and Johanna brought white chef hats for us to wear!

We were in awe of the state of the art kitchen with four beautiful gas stoves, an island with four sinks and two other islands to serve as a Buffet. We quickly got to work in the spacious kitchen.

Angie and Sue were in charge of the salad. They made quick work of chopping all the vegetables.

Michelle was tasked with boiling enough pasta to feed 35 people. Lots of foggy glasses!

Arlene made her special meat sauce and

Johanna and Sarah prepared the desserts and took pictures. The bread was sliced and the butter, salad dressing, and grated cheese were put out. While the water was boiling and the sauce was simmering, laughter and conversation filled the kitchen. We had so much fun preparing this meal for the families to enjoy.

As dinner time approached, and the delicious aroma of pasta sauce filled the air, we finalized the meal. We arranged everything nicely on the buffet. We covered it so it would be ready for the families when they returned to the Ronald McDonald House after spending the day at the hospital with their child. We cleaned up quickly and left the warm meal for the families to enjoy privately. We hope they enjoyed the meal made with love.

We were happy to lend a helping hand. If you would like to prepare or donate a meal to the Ronald McDonald House, check out their website for more information.

Thank you for reading along. Leave your comments and suggestions. We love to hear from our followers. Until next time, remember a little time can make a big impact!