So…after being sucked in to the black hole known as PTA for the last two years, I’ve finally been set free from the depths of Hell!! I can’t tell you how AMAZING it feels to not have to worry about that stuff anymore.  However…my volunteering efforts have not ended and one of them was being chef for a night at the Ronald McDonald house downtown last Friday. My good friend Martha is an angel in disguise and volunteers there on a regular basis. She asked me if I’d be interested in helping out one night and I of course said “yes!”  I never knew much about this place but was told by Martha that they help out families in need who have to stay for long periods of time at hospitals because of treatment their loved ones are receiving.

The house is huge and can accommodate up to 30 families all free of charge for however long they need to stay. ALL the people that work there are volunteers and there are a lot of them. It was very humbling to take a tour of the facility and hear what it has to offer. All the food in the kitchen was donated by volunteers or businesses around town and there was a TON! One of the things we were told was that families really appreciate the fact that they don’t have to worry about buying or preparing food. When you’re stressed to the max taking care of a sick child, the last thing you want to have to worry about is making something to eat. The volunteers are able to at least help ease that particular stress and I think that’s just so awesome.

We started preparing dinner at about 4pm and served it around 6.  We cleaned up and headed home around 8:30pm. All in all it was a great experience and one that I will probably do again. The lesson I walked away with was how lucky I am that I don’t have to utilize services like these. I’m so grateful that my family and I are all healthy. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have a child in the hospital for a long period of time and have to stay here. Places like this are amazing and can really restore your faith in humanity. =)