If you’re looking for a chance to do some volunteer work in Pasadena while COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, Ronald McDonald House Pasadena (RMHP) is looking for people who can prepare meals for the families who are staying at the house while their children are undergoing treatment at hospitals and medical centers in the area.
Ronald McDonald House, a program of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California, is a “home-away-from-home” for families with critically ill children, keeping them close to one another, their doctors, and needed medical care. Families at Ronald McDonald House Pasadena often stay at the hospital or medical center for long hours every day. By volunteering to prepare meals for the families at RMHP, you can help make sure they always have access to a home-cooked meal.
Individually packaged “Meals of Love” are prepared in the RMHP Volunteer Kitchen and then stocked in the fridge or freezer, ready for guest families to heat and enjoy.
RMHP is now welcoming volunteers back in person, with new guidelines to protect your health and safety and the safety of guest families, staff and the community.
According to the guidelines, groups of up to four volunteers can prepare Meals of Love in the Volunteer Kitchen. All volunteers in the group must be over 16 years old and able to show proof of full vaccination for COVID-19.
All Prep a Meal of Love volunteers must be scheduled in advance for a Tuesday or Thursday between 2 and 4 p.m.
Everyone preparing the meal should use appropriate hygiene practices and be free of any contagious diseases or sickness. Face coverings must be worn at all times. Food safety gloves and hairnets are required when handling food and will be made available in the Volunteer Kitchen.
Ingredients for the meal being prepared must be supplied by the volunteers. Each “Prep a Meal of Love” volunteer group will select a recipe from the options included on a list provided by RMHP and prepare 16 servings. Once the meal is cooked, volunteers will package the servings individually into disposable containers and affix a Meal of Love label with a date, description, reheating instructions, and note to the top.
For a list of the suggested meals and the recipes, go to https://rmhcsc.org/assets/5186.pdf.
Volunteers will also need to clean up after the meal preparation. All the dishes must be washed or loaded into the dishwasher to be cleaned, and kitchen counters and cooking surfaces must be wiped down.
To schedule your Meal of Love prep, email PRMH-Volunteer@RMHCSC.org or call (626) 204-0401.
For more information about volunteering for other RMHP programs, visit www.rmhcsc.org/pasadena/page/vol.
