Offleash.CARES Goes Top Chef at Ronald McDonald House at Stanford

Last week, the Offleash crew stepped away from our computers, rolled up our sleeves, and gave back to our community for this summer’s Offleash.CARES event at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, participating in their Meals for Munchkins program.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities provides accommodations and community services (like meals and social events) for families with children being treated for life-threatening illnesses at nearby hospitals, and currently has over 350 locations worldwide. People travel from all over to see the best doctors at Stanford, and though the kids are the ones being treated, the families are also in need of support.

Our participation with Meals for Munchkins included shopping for, preparing, and serving a meal to the families currently staying at the house. Not only were we able to cook in their state-of-the-art kitchen, we also had the opportunity to interact with the residents and got a tour of their facility afterwards.

We were so impressed by what we saw, from game rooms to arts and crafts and even an in-house photography studio for families to take portraits free of charge. We learned that, with the House at Stanford’s recent expansion, it is now one of the largest Ronald McDonald Houses in the world, providing a home-away-from-home for over 120 families.

While cooking is not my forte, it was all worth it to learn a lesson on appreciation and positivity from these families. As with all of our volunteer work, our team walked away enriched by the experience and deeply thankful to Ronald McDonald House employees and volunteers who welcomed us with open arms. We can’t wait to get back to the House at Stanford, and are already brainstorming what to serve at our next meal!