Ronald McDonald House

Honestly, I didn't know there was a Ronald McDonald House in Reno. It goes to show that you often don't know about many things that might be happening under your very nose. The Ronald McDonald House is a 14,000 square foot mini-hotel that's adjacent to Washoe Medical Center. It provides a place to stay for families who live more than 30 miles away who have a child at, or recieving treatment at Washoe Medical Center. From families coming in from Winnemucca to parents of foreign exchange students from India, it's a much cheaper alternative to staying at a hotel.

But the fact that it is cheap doesn't mean the place is run down. It's well-maintained, from the custom built gumball-machine playhouse in the back, to the laundry facilities downstairs, to the donated sleep-number beds in many of the rooms. They don't pay a dime for food, but recieve lots of donations from the community, and have a "chefs" program that lets people cook meals for them, which is what we did last night.

For a large pot of chicken soup, a couple bowls of salad, a couple trays of cornbread, and a couple pans of brownies, we were able to deliver and dash - leaving the food available as families were able to eat. Hopefully, it was a blessing to them. Had we not gotten a tour of the building, we'd have been in and out in minutes. It took me maybe an hour total, and most of that was on the couch watching "It Takes A Thief" while the brownies (my contribution) baked.

If you'd like a way to serve with your family, small group, Bible study, etc - consider something like this. It's almost no burden for the givers - but you're providing support for a great organization and people who are dealing with having their child - in some cases, their prematurely born infant - in the hospital.