CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Ronald McDonald Houses in the Chicago area are trying to rebound from the impact that COVID-19 has had on their operations.
The charity recently started bringing back a small number of their volunteers after having to shut down their program during the stay-at-home order in March.
CEO Holly Buckendahl estimates they lost 28,000 volunteer hours, valued at about $760,000. They are hoping to make up that amount during a year-end fundraising campaign.
Buckendahl says after a strong start on Giving Tuesday, Ronald McDonald House Charities is halfway to their $500,000 goal.
She says the charity continues to serve parents and siblings of sick children who cannot delay medical care, even during a pandemic.
Precautions aimed at curtailing the virus also prompted Ronald McDonald Houses to change how they feed the 1,200 families they’ve hosted since the start of the pandemic.
Instead of having large groups in the kitchens of their five homes in Chicago and the suburbs, the organization moved to more of a room service model, with food delivered from restaurants.
Related
