Needs From: United Way's Volunteer Center

At Ronald McDonald House, we aim to make families feel "at home" while their children are receiving care in the hospital by providing warm, home-cooked meals during their stay. If you'd like to provide some relief to families enduring a medical crisis, you can "Adopt-A-Meal"!

Here's how it works:

You bring your group (family, church, club, company, organization, etc.) You provide the ingredients*You come to the Ronald McDonald House to prepare the meal for all of our House guests (around 60 people, depending on our current capacity) on-site, in our Great KitchenYou may also stick around to plate and serve the families at mealtime, if you'd like!

*Groups who are unable to provide their own ingredients may still be able to Adopt A Meal. Talk to Melissa about alternative options. You also have the option to order food from a store or restaurant, if you have the budget for that.

For more details or to schedule a date to participate in the volunteer activity, please contact Melissa Miburn at Melissa.Milburn@rmhchattanooga.com

More info from Melissa:

The group would start with the idea of which meal slot would work best for them ( breakfast, lunch, or dinner) and then we would look for open dates on our meal calendar.   Most of the groups keep the number of volunteers around 6-8 people due to the size of the kitchen space and to help keep the families from being overwhelmed when they come into the kitchen for the meal.  The actual meal prepared would need to be made on site in the Great Kitchen or purchased from either a grocery store or restaurant.   The Great Kitchen is stocked with an assortment of pots and pans, cooking utensils, serving utensils and plates/ utensils for the families to eat off.   The meal is prepared buffet style that the families can then help themselves to during the allotted meal time and then whatever food is left over, that is placed in our re-heatable containers that the families can reheat when they return from the hospital.

The Front Desk Support Volunteer will be responsible for providing
efficient and welcoming customer service to guests and visitors at the Ronald McDonald House.

Key Responsibilities:

Greet visitors, guests, and families in a warm and friendly mannerCheck-in visitors who are coming for meetings, Adopt-a-meal preparation, other
functions related to house operationsDocument daily heath checks for families staying at the house Receive in-kind and monetary donations and issue proper documentation to the donor
to ensure the transaction is properly recordedRespond to inquiries and provide information about RMHC programs and servicesMaintain accurate records and update guest information relative to health protocolsAssist with various administrative tasks as neededEnsure a clean and organized front desk areaFollow established policies and proceduresProvide exceptional customer service to all families and visitors

Requirements:

Ability to commit to a minimum of one, 3 hour shift per month High school diploma or equivalent, preferred Excellent communication skillsAbility to work in a fast-paced environmentStrong organizational and time-management skillsAbility to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive informationBasic computer skills and familiarity with office equipmentPassion for serving others, specifically families who are in need

Benefits:

Opportunities to serve and make a positive impact on families during their time of needPersonal and professional growth through volunteeringComplimentary meals and snacks during volunteer shift

The Family Room, located inside Erlanger's Children's Hospital, is a peaceful, home-like space where families of patients can enjoy a meal, take a shower, and wash their clothing. This space is provided by Ronald McDonald House, a nonprofit which strives to create a "home away from home" for families whose children are receiving care in a hospital.

The Volunteer's main responsibility is to maintain a friendly and home-like atmosphere in the Family Room. Specific duties include:

welcoming families and guests to the Family Roomhelping visitors check in on kioskrecording the reason for their visit (shower, laundry, food) so we know the kind of need that exists & can provide resources accordinglyexplaining policies and procedures to guestssupervising use of kitchen appliances and laundry machinesmaking coffee and tea as neededrestocking kitchen with snacksrestocking bathrooms with toiletrieskeeping the Family Room neat and tidy.

This role occurs in 3-hour shifts from Monday to Friday: 9am-12pm, 12pm-3pm, and 3pm-6pm.

Onboarding as a Family Room volunteer requires* the following:

a one-time background checka one-time health screening, which checks vaccination status for dyptheria, Hep B, typhoid, and other common childhood vaccinesan annual flu vaccine submission (during flu season)annual viewing of training videos

*Erlanger covers all costs for this onboarding process.

We also ask that volunteers commit to an ongoing weekly shift. For example, "every Monday from 12pm to 3pm," or "every Thursday from 3pm to 6pm," etc.

If you are unable to commit to a weekly shift, but could do a biweekly shift or some other regular routine, we may be able to accommodate you. Give us a call and we'll talk about it!