Meals From The Heart

Location: Ronald McDonald House Near Lurie Children's

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2013; 4:00-8:00 pm

When a man's an empty kettle

He should be on his mettle

There are projects that I like because of what we do and there are projects that I like because of the clients and the people involved.  Then there are projects like this one, which I loved because of the organization, the location and just the overall experience.  First of all, let’s start with the organization itself.  According to the description on One Brick website, “The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities is to care for families of children with complex medical needs by providing comfort, compassion and community.”  Furthermore, the ‘Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana’ website states, “Our four current Houses provide a ‘home away from home’ to keep families together. Located near Advocate Children’s Hospital, Loyola University Medical Center, University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, and the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, the Houses allow families to eat, sleep and find the emotional support they need - just blocks from where their child is being treated. This year we provided over 30,000 nights to families, offering them care and comfort during their hours of greatest need. While we suggest a donation of $10 per night, no family is ever turned away if they are unable to pay.”  Well then, if that wasn’t enough to get me excited, nothing else would. 

And yet I'm torn apart

The outstanding kitchen

Each member of the One Brick team that was participating in the project was required to contribute $16, which would be used to purchase groceries that would help us cook a meal for the families and which would allow then to relax and unwind from the stress of caring for their child undergoing treatment.  We would be preparing a meal for 75-100 people, serving them, and then putting away the leftovers for late arriving families to reheat and enjoy later.  This meant that someone had to go and get the groceries and that’s what Wilson the EM, and Michelle the EC, went and did earlier in the afternoon.  The place is literally couple of blocks away from my apartment and so I was intending to leave with 15 minutes to spare.  However, Wilson called and asked if I could come earlier to help unload.  I arrived at the location and was told that some of our volunteers had already been escorted upstairs to the kitchen.  Wilson arrived soon with a car full of groceries. and it was a lot of food.  It took me and some of the other volunteers who had assembled 3 luggage carts to take it up to the 3^rd floor.  But nothing had prepared us for the sight that we saw there.  The doors of the elevator opened to let us into the best kitchen and dining area I have ever seen. No this is not I typo, I did not forget to insert “that I have volunteered in”.  It was the best kitchen and dining area that I have ever seen. 

Just because I'm presumin'

That I could be a human

Pilaf

The entire kitchen and all of its spectacular appliances – I have never seen so many cooking ranges and ovens – as well as the fabulous counter tops and two islands were at our disposal; as were the pots, pans and any utensils that we desired. We had a big group and it seemed that everyone knew what they were doing.  One of the islands was being used for meat preparation while the other one had lot of fruit on it.  The menu was chicken skewers on rice pilaf and fruit skewers with mint sauce for dessert.  There were a lot of people on both stations, so Wilson assigned me and another volunteer, Crystal to rice duties.  He said that the main staple was in our hands and were we to screw up, lot of people would go hungry.  No pressure!  The process included frying some pasta in butter followed by addition of rice and butter and a few cubes of chicken and vegetable stock and simmering.  Now, I have made pasta in the past – well, if opening a box and boiling constitutes making – but never this way, frying in butter.  This was a strange recipe and I said as much to Wilson.  He said that it was similar to making ‘Rice Roni’, as if I knew what that meant.  Now, I was really feeling the heat.

I'd be tender, I'd be gentle

And awful sentimental

Crystal and I made one pot each and while that was simmering, we moved to a second pot.  By the time we were done, we had used 20 lbs of rice, many bags of pasta, lots of sticks of butter and innumerable cubes of the stock.   As far as the staple was concerned, we were well covered!  Ever the one to enhance something, Wilson asked me to chop some parsley to sprinkle on top of the pilaf. We also had a bag of shredded carrots that he asked me chop even finer and then mix into the rice.  Talk about expecting perfection!  All four pots of rice were soon done and we spread it on the pans and placed into some of the several warming ovens. I made sure I mixed in the carrots and parsley and hoped that they would pass the muster.

Regarding love and art

The spread

I had not previously met some of the volunteers that we had today, including a family of three which had Mom, Dad and a son in college.  I washed some of the pans that we had used and then walked about to see what the rest of the team was doing. We were well ahead of the curve, with the skewers cooking in the oven and the leftover chicken being stir-fried with soy by some of the more adventurous chefs amongst us. Soon our guests started arriving and we set the food on the counter tops as a buffet line for them to come and help themselves.  Wilson made a sample plate for the guests to follow and we were ready to roll.  I watched the guests pick up their plates and go settle down to eat with their families.  It was a very quiet gathering, with not a lot of noise, as can be expected from people who are facing some of the more stressful times of their lives.  Once the guests had settled down, the volunteers got their plates and went and sat down to eat.  Unlike some of the other places that I have been to, where the volunteers join the guests at their table, everyone was respecting the privacy that the guests probably wanted. 

I'd be friends with the sparrows

And the boy that shoots the arrows

'The Healing Garden'

As the families ate, I explored the area around our kitchen and discovered another kitchen on the other side of the big room, which the families used if they wanted to do their own cooking.  Between the two areas there was a play space where the floor was rigged with spots which made different percussion sounds depending on which spot one stepped on.  What followed was a group of volunteers – including me – dancing on the floor as we aimed to create some harmony through the beats, at a very rapid pace!  Soon the guests were done and we started cleaning up and packing the excess food – of which there was a lot.  Kelly, our site representative from Ronald McDonald was there as we wrapped up and told us how for the last 30 years she has tried one new food on her birthday.  Now that’s a unique birthday tradition.  She was there to take a group of us for a tour of the facility and from what I had heard from the earlier group, it was not to be missed.  What followed was an experience that I will never forget. 

Picture me a balcony

Above a voice sings low

Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

She reiterated their mission, which was to ensure that the families of kids being treated at the hospital stayed together during these tough times.  She said that the treatment could last anywhere from 2 days to 2 months and no family is turned away if there is room – even if they are unable to pay the nominal fee of $10/night.  And what a facility this is.  We were blown away by the décor and the layout which would have made a high-end hotel proud, let alone a charitable institution.  We saw a rooftop ‘Healing Garden’ which with its tranquil surroundings, flowing water and mosaic setting was a true sanctuary for the families.  There were areas in the building donated by the ‘White Sox’ and ‘Blackhawks’ and we are not talking about some jersey’s hanging on the wall.  These were tastefully done spaces with a lot of thought being put in. 

I hear a beat, how sweet!

The rooms

We went down to see the residence areas and each of the floors has “Heart of Chicago” as a theme.  The rooms itself were extremely comfortable and every detail had been covered, including high-end mattresses so that families get a comfortable night’s sleep.  Furthermore, none of the rooms had a TV so as to encourage more family time.  We saw the recreational rooms, libraries, playrooms with wall to wall toys, and all around us there was beauty and outstanding décor, including sculptures and paintings.  There was a piano in one of the rooms and Kelly told us a story about a girl who was visiting for treatments from China and who loved to play the piano.  One day a piano tuner came to fix the old piano and heard her play.  This led to him and his buddies donating a piano so that she and others like her would have something decent to play on.  It is impossible to come to this place and not be inspired.  All of this before we had even set foot inside the most priceless room in the building. 

Just to register emotion, jealousy, devotion

And really feel the part

'The Meditation Room'

For our final stop on the tour, Kelly took us to a room that looked different right off the bat. One wall was made of a back lit design on glass which made the ambiance in the room very serene and peaceful. This was the 'Meditation Room'. She said that this was a place where every person in the building, irrespective of faith, could come and offer a prayer in their own way.  Then she showed us the ‘Eternal Lamp’.  With all of our beautiful surroundings that we had seen this evening, it was easy to forget that many families were undergoing an extremely stressful time and very often, families would lose a child.  Any time a child of the Ronald McDonald house lost their battle, this lamp would stay on for 24 hours.  Kelly said that she was responsible for the lamp and had lit it last night.  Tonight, as the 24 hours were to elapse, she was about to come over and turn it off, when news came that another one of the brave souls had been lost and the lamp would stay on for another night.  There was pin-drop silence in the room and all of us were looking at her through misty eyes as she said, “It is my privilege to be a guardian of this lamp and work in this house.  This is what all of you volunteers enable.  Never forget that”.

I could stay young and chipper

And I'd lock it with a zipper

Why we fight

It was a solemn troupe that went back to the kitchen to pick up our belongings.  Kelly had told us earlier that she had found this position a year ago after being laid off from a long-term job.  I helped her take the garbage out in the back and asked her if getting laid off was the best thing to have happened to her, since it gave her this incredible opportunity.  She thought about it for a moment and said no, the greatest thing to have happened to her was meeting her husband.  She smiled and said that there were a lot of good men I Chicago and based on some that I have seen, I agree with her.  We went home that day after an unforgettable experience and Wilson said later that all the volunteers had mentioned that it had been a privilege to serve and they wanted to return.  Such is the popularity of the place that the volunteer spots had been booked till the end of this year, but Wilson promised us all that we would return.  The title of the project had said “Meals From The Heart” and heart was all that the visitors at the House need from others and from what I saw, there is an abundance of it over there. 

If I only had a heart 

Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg: From the Motion Picture Soundtrack, ‘The Wizard Of Oz’