Meal Program

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Family Meal Programs

Help Us Save Families Time & Meal Costs

It's not just nourishing our bodies, it's nourishing our souls. The day's over and you can just relax with your family like you do at home.

Georgia Nixon

Feeding Families Safely

volunteer packaging meals

When the pandemic hit, our teams successfully pivoted and created a Quarantine Edition of our Family Meal Program. As circumstances have evolved, so has the program. In both the Akron and Cleveland House, we never stopped providing three meals a day…plus!

  • Continental breakfasts of fresh fruit, hot and cold cereal, pastries
  • Individually packaged, Grab and Go lunches
  • Hot dinners, individually packaged, delivered to rooms as needed
  • Healthy snacks, beverages and desserts (sometimes delivered via a dessert cart)

Community Impact

In 2021, even with COVID-19 limitations, we served 38,604 safely-prepared lunches and dinners, daily continental breakfast and 24/7 self-serve snacks and beverages.

boxed lunch pickup

In June, we launched our new Boxed Lunch Program in our partner hospitals, relieving families of the logistical and financial burdens of leaving their hospitalized child’s area to find something to eat. The Family Room programs in the hospitals also provided snacks, beverages and hosted catered meals for families and healthcare staff.

None of this would be possible without our community’s generosity. Without groups to provide meals, expenses are higher. We rely on:

  • Monetary contributions to purchase ingredients and supplies
  • In-kind donation of meal ingredients from McDonald’s suppliers, local dairies, fruit and vegetable distributors and more
  • Wish List donations of gift cards, individually packaged snacks and supplies
  • Catered meals* donated by individuals, groups, companies and restaurants

This all adds up to a big savings for the meal program budget so we can keep feeding families, helping them stay strong for their children. 

Before the Ronald McDonald House, we were spending more than $50 each day on food. We would not have been able to do that for another week or two and it became a major concern. The food here is fantastic and it has removed a significant burden during an already difficult time. I hope you know what a difference this makes for us as we care for our son.

Guest during COVID-19 restrictions

New Kitchen at Cleveland Ronald McDonald House