REALTORS® Association of Edmonton Bakes Love into Every Bite at Ronald McDonald House

In their first REALTORS Care® Day, REALTORS® in Edmonton channeled their favourite chefs and cooked up healthy meals for families trying to build a home away from home while their children are undergoing medical treatment.

“I think today’s experience has been awesome. My donations that I make through the REALTORS® Community Foundation, help to support charities like this,” says CREA President-Elect James Mabey. “We just couldn’t be happier to see the difference that it’s making for a facility like this and to bring people together around the kitchen table as REALTORS® often do.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) Alberta supports families seeking vital medical treatment for their seriously sick or injured child. When those families are experiencing one of life’s most difficult times, their houses provide a home away from home for families who need to travel for medical reasons. Along with a place to sleep, the houses also provide home-style meals, laundry facilities, free parking, and wrap-around services like yoga and pet therapy as part of their holistic family-centred care approach.

Volunteers started their day at a local grocery store shopping for supplies that would feed up to 38 families a healthy meal. The team met back up at the Ronald McDonald House later that afternoon where they were greeted by Suzanne Pescod, Director of Marketing & Communications at RMHC Alberta, and the Home for Dinner Program staff.

“These families had to leave their homes,” says Suzanne. “Now, no one knows a home better than a REALTOR®, and we believe that when they show up at the Ronald McDonald House, they can feel that feeling of being at home. Tonight, they cooked a meal for us and they’re supporting the Ronald McDonald House because they too are helping us create the home away from home for the families that have to travel for pediatric care.”

Organized into groups the REALTORS® created two hearty chilis (both meat and vegetarian options), a healthy salad and a rice crispy squares dessert. While the chilis cooked on the stove volunteers were then provided with a tour of the Edmonton house, complete with games and arts rooms, therapy spaces and a playground, before returning to the kitchen to prepare plating for families.

Thanks to volunteer support, the Home for Dinner program provides over 25,000 meals every year to families across Alberta. The Edmonton House opened in 1985 and has 38 private family suites for families who travel from across Alberta to receive treatment at the Stollery Children’s Hospital.

By the end of the day, volunteers served 80 meals and packed the remaining healthy leftovers into the fridges for families to enjoy. Alongside their volunteerism in the kitchen, a $10,000 donation was made to RMHC Alberta in December of 2023 for the ongoing operations of the Edmonton House programs and services (the equivalent of 50 nights worth of stay for families in need).

This is just one way that REALTORS® are giving back in Edmonton and the surrounding region in 2024. Every month, the REALTORS® Community Foundation connects local REALTORS® and Industry Partners with charities and non-profits through their Volunteer Days initiatives and the foundation also grants over $300,000 a year to community groups.

“At the REALTORS® Community Foundation our collaboration with the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton is so important,” says Executive Director Amber Blaszkiewicz. “We’re able to create volunteer opportunities like today’s REALTORS Care® Day and give back to charities like Ronald McDonald House that need the support every single day.”