365 days a year, Utahns can ‘adopt a meal’ and give families of sick children one less thing to worry about

Jacob and Lydia Barnard had a lot on their minds Monday evening, as they sat inside the community kitchen at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in Salt Lake City.

The next day at 5:45 a.m., the Springville couple’s 5-month-old son, Jacob, was scheduled for heart surgery at Primary Children’s Hospital. The last thing the nervous parents wanted was to drive around an unfamiliar city looking for a place to eat dinner, especially knowing that errant germs could negatively affect their son’s health.

Having someone provide a home-cooked meal in a safe, comfortable space “is a wonderful surprise,” said Lydia. “It’s one less thing to worry about.”

Families, friends, businesses and other groups looking for ways to help families like the Barnards can volunteer for the House’s “adopt-a-meal” program, feeding the 60 to 70 people who stay at the home-away-from home each night while their family member is in a hospital.

“One of the ways we give love is through food,” explained Carrie Romano, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House. And after a long day at the hospital, the families of pediatric patients appreciate the physical nourishment, but also the emotional help.

Sitting around a table is where families meet others in similar situations, share stories and “gather strength” for the hard days, weeks and sometimes months ahead, said Romano. “For us, the kitchen is the heart of the house.”

Because it’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, “we try to get volunteer groups to cover as many meals as possible,” said Romano. That’s easy around the holidays, when many people want a chance to help others.

“The spots are more challenging to fill the rest of the year,” she said.

Many of those who do volunteer have stayed in the house or had a family member benefit from treatment at one of three pediatric hospitals in Salt Lake City — Primary Children’s Hospital, the University of Utah Hospital or Shriner’s Hospital.

The White family of Centerville and Farmington is a good example of that desire to give back.

“Each of us has had an experience at Primary Children’s so we know how it feels to have children in a tense situation,” said Jennifer White Webb, who planned Monday night’s dinner. To pull off the meal for 60 people, she brought a small army that included her mother and four of her five siblings, as well as all of their spouses and children.

Together they steamed rice, cooked and shredded chicken, tossed salad, mixed and formed crescent rolls and baked and frosted carrot cookies, all in about 90 minutes.

While the chicken was cooking, Trish White Peters talked about the time her now-teenage son, Michael, was admitted to Primary Children’s. He was 2 at the time and his burst appendix went undetected for several days, leaving him in critical condition. Years later, the stressful memory is still fresh on her mind.

“You’re indebted to them forever,” said Peters.

There is a similar meal program at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, a place where out-of-town patients and their caregivers stay when getting radiation, chemotherapy or other active cancer treatments at Salt Lake City hospitals.

The lodge is only two years old, but it already has a regular rotation of church groups and families who volunteer for “Cooking Up Hope.”

The meal program “gives our guest a night off from cooking,” explained Robin Smith, the assistant manager.

“Often, it’s a family member that has been touched by cancer that volunteers,” she said. “We hear that a lot.”

Smith said there are no menu rules; volunteers have made everything from lasagna to tacos. There just has to be enough food for about 50 guests, the average number of people who stay at the lodge each night.

One of the only restrictions at these home-away-from-home facilities is that volunteers be healthy — stay home if you are sick, as many of the guests have compromised immune systems. Volunteers also must follow proper hand washing and food safety rules.

No matter where the meal is prepared and served, know that it is appreciated, said Kendra Larsen, a regular at the Ronald McDonald House. Her 5-year-old daughter, Hadley, has brittle bone disease and has had 14 surgeries in her short life at Shriner’s Hospital.

“I get emotional when I see all that the volunteers do,” Larsen said. “We’re so grateful. As tough as it is, the meals make the situation not seem so bad.”

5 places to serve

Several places along the Wasatch Front offer meal-making opportunities for businesses, church groups, families and other volunteer organizations. Requirements vary depending on the site. Call or visit the website for more details or to sign up.

Family Room at Primary Children’s Hospital • 100 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City. Feed families whose children are getting treatment. Call the volunteer manager at 801-363-4663 ext. 4111 or visit http://www.rmhcslc.org/get-involved/adopt-a-meal/

Hope Lodge • 375 E. 100 South, Salt Lake City. Feed out-of-town patients and their caregivers receiving active cancer treatments at Salt Lake City area hospitals. Call 801-844-1804.

Ronald McDonald House Charities • 935 S. Temple, Salt Lake City. Feed families whose children are getting treatment at area pediatric hospitals. Call the volunteer manager at 801-363-4663 ext. 4111 or visit http://www.rmhcslc.org/get-involved/adopt-a-meal/

VA Fisher House • 690 Valdez Drive, Salt Lake City. Feed families of military veterans receiving treatment. Call 801-588-5900 or visit http://www.fisherhousesaltlakecity.com/.

Volunteers of America’s Youth Resource Center • 888 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Provide a meal to homeless or at-risk youth ages 15-22. Call 801-364-0744 or visit https://www.voaut.org/volunteer-opportunities.