27 Feb Giant Food and RMHCDC Partner

Posted at 12:48h in Uncategorized by

Feed The House: Aimed at Providing Healthy Meals for Families with Critically Ill Children

This National Nutrition Month, Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington, DC (RMHCDC) and Giant Food have partnered to launch Feed the House, a new yearlong campaign that will support volunteers and help provide nutritious meals to families taking care of critically ill children in nearby hospitals.

Feed the House will support Ronald McDonald Houses, a program within the organization that provides a ‘home-away-from-home’ for families with a child being treated at a local hospital. In an effort to promote health, wellness and giving back locally, Giant Food’s Registered Dietitian team created month long meal plans volunteers can follow to offer families staying in the DC area houses a varied menu of healthy and delicious options. Meal plans also include breakfast and dessert ideas, as well as menu items tailored for the season. These meal plans will be available to volunteers in each house as well as online.

“The nutritionist team is happy to team up with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC to offer some of our favorite recipes,” said Lisa Coleman, Lead Nutritionist at Giant Food. “We chose dishes that are fresh and affordable with a healthy-ish twist. We hope these recipes will give families with sick children the hearty meals they need to thrive.”

In addition to providing the recipe and shopping list, Giant Food is also making it easier for volunteers by providing $20 gift cards to groups cooking meals for RMHCDC families. Ronald McDonald House managers will mail the gift cards to volunteer groups ahead of their scheduled volunteer day, while supplies last.

“Volunteer groups who provide and cook meals are a vital part of taking care of the families at our Ronald McDonald Houses, families who spend their days in the hospital giving all of their time and energy to the care of their children,” said Karen Torres, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington, DC. “Thanks to Giant’s generosity, and our new partnership, we can now provide our volunteers with some culinary inspiration, help alleviate some of the costs of their volunteer efforts and ensure our RMHCDC families have the energy and nutrition needed to be strong for their children and siblings.”

Through three core programs – Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles – RMHCDC works to ease the hardship of children’s illness on families through programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of children. The organization’s programs not only provide access to quality health care, but also enable family-centered care, ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their children’s medical care plan.

Giant Food is committed to providing healthy choices and building healthy communities for its customers. Through a variety of programs, in addition to Feed The House, which include Meat the Needs, the Pediatric Cancer Campaign and the Hunger Box Campaign, Giant Food is providing the building blocks of a healthy community while supporting education and fighting diseases.

To sign up to volunteer at a Ronald McDonald House and participate in the ‘Feed the House’ campaign, please visit: RMHCDC.org/volunteer.