When Jill Ruschulte first started cooking in the Ronald McDonald House kitchen, she knew she’d be preparing meals for hundreds of families. Now, nearly three years later, she’s serving plates of comfort that help to take some stress off those same families’ plates.
At the charity’s Cincinnati location, Ruschulte and other chefs guide volunteers in preparing, cooking and serving meals through the Taste of Hope meal program.
“We provide two meals a day for the families,” she said. “Monday through Friday we do lunch and dinner and then Saturday and Sunday we do brunch and dinner and we are constantly changing our menu so there is good variety for the families.”
Those meals come at no cost to the families, thousands of whom stay at the House every year while their critically ill children undergo treatment at Children’s Hospital.
Oftentimes, families are exhausted, scared and financially drained as they struggle to pay overwhelming medical bills. Not having to worry about cooking a meal at the end of the day is a significant weight off their shoulders, RMHC’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Kristen Klein said.