Casserole Club 

 

One of the ways people can help out is by preparing and donating meals.  We attempt to schedule a meal provider for every evening to prepare a meal for our families at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa. However, there are occasionally times when we cannot get a provider scheduled or circumstances where a provider needs to cancel.  We understand that unexpected things come up, therefore we like to have a contingency plan in place to ensure our families still get a prepared meal.

That is where the Casserole Club comes in. This is a great way to ensure that our families receive a warm, home cooked meal every evening, Volunteers are able to provide the ingredients and prepare the meal in the House, so that is ready to be cooked whenever we may need it. 

While it holds the name of Casserole Club, it is definitely not limited to just casseroles.  Any meal that can be prepared and stored in a disposable aluminum pan, freezer bag or freezer wrap and baked at a later date is a welcome contribution.  Individual pizzas, pasta dishes, burritos, soups, stews, meat and vegetable dishes, etc., would be great for this program.  

To arrange a date to come in and make casseroles, please call the House at (515) 243-2111 or email maggie@rmhdesmoines.org. Scheduling is available from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm daily at Ronald McDonald House near Blank Children’s Hospital.  All scheduling must be confirmed with the office. 

 

Guidelines for preparing freezer meals:

 

  • A group with a maximum of 10 individuals.
  • Food must be prepared in our kitchen per Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Iowa Global Heath Code.
  • Volunteer groups must provide the ingredients.
  • Select recipes that will freeze and heat up like a freshly prepared meal, using enough liquid/sauce to prevent dry food.
  • Select an appropriate storage container.
  • We suggest disposable aluminum 9x13 pans with aluminum lids, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray for baked dishes and Ziplock Freezer Bags for soups or stews.
  • Label and date the container-we have sticker labels unless you prefer to bring your own customized label.
  • But most importantly, have fun.