Hi ladies. I am so not creative and crafty, and I rely on you all to 'borrow' ideas from! Our softball team is getting together for a pumpkin carving party toward the end of the month. I wanted to add on a service project to that. Our group is too big to go to our local Ronald McDonald House to serve a meal (I already asked.... we have 13 girls which would be ok, but all of the parents said they would only participate if they could go as well- they are all nice people but drive me crazy, we apparently have to travel as a herd?). Anyway, that's a whole other issue!
So the lady at the house said that sometimes people make goody bags to leave in the rooms for new families coming in. This is totally something we could do, and could put them together at the pumpkin party. The problem- I have no idea what to do. Should we make a family basket? Just kids? The families that come in are all different sizes and ages, so we don't want to make all little kid stuff that would be useless for a teenager. And should we make something holiday-ish as Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up or leave it general so they can use them later if needed and to respect those who might not celebrate these holidays? I'm just at a loss, I don't know where to begin to come up with something useful, fun, and uplifting.
I know lots of church groups, scouts, schools, etc., have done things for the Ronald McDonald house or similar, so I'm hoping you guys have some experience with this. Help this craft-challenged mama!!
Thanks everyone...
We were at Texas Children's for several weeks and a mother's group brought us McDonald's coupons as well as Starbuck's coupons. Both were nearby. I was SO touched that they thought of us, the parents, with the Starbuck's. We were all pulling all nighter's so it was VERY appreciated.
As someone who spent 2 months at the hospital waiting for my son to get better I may have some good ideas.
#1 - toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, deodorant, lotion, laundry detergent (most places have somewhere for folks to do their laundry if they are staying for extended amounts of time), dryer sheets, and possibly some tylenol or advil.
#2 - A book, magazine, puzzle book. Something to distract themselves.
#3 - If you are in Colorado then maybe some gloves, hats, warm socks.
#4 - GIft cards to local restaurants or fast food places. Starbucks or coffee. Grocery store or drugstore. Target, Walmart.
Ronald McDonald houses are for families that are going through treatment with their children, usually at a Children's Hospital. So it's really not for the kids that you are putting a good bag together for, it's for the children's parents. When I was at one there were no kids or siblings there. That's not to say that there aren't, I am sure there are. I just think usually people at the houses are parents.
What you are doing is great. I am sure these families will truly appreciate whatever you put in there.
L.
EDITED TO ADD - I got online and talked with a guy named Keith down in Denver and he said,
"I would recommend calling either Denver House ###-###-#### Aurora House ###-###-#### to see what things they have a need/wish for... Things are always changing around here and that is the best way to see what the current need is..."
So I would also call them back and find out what kind of ideas they had.
I agree that gift cards are a great thing to include--gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops, Barnes and Noble, parking passes to the hospital (if RMH isn't within walking distance), meal vouchers to the hospital cafeteria, etc.
They may also appreciate stamps, thank you cards, healthy snacks like dried fruit, trail mix, granola bars, and other things they can grab on the go or throw into a bag on the way out the door.
I agree that asking RMH for ideas would be a smart move.
Birdsfreakmeout nailed it. Think things for the parents. When our son was about to start eating disorder treatment, I looked into Ronald McDonald house to be near him in the hospital. Our daughter would have been home with grandparents to keep up with school. Our son ultimately did home hospitalization, but I remember in reading through the materials that there were no TVs in each room. So, activities like puzzle/game books, magazines, etc. would be super. Think very practical.
Calling RMD is probably your best bet, though. They work with parents staying there and can give you the best advice on what's needed.
They need practical items. Think gift cards.
Check out the following links which may be helpful.
I'd think 'simple'; color crayons, stickers, a few small pads or paper/post-its, 'fun pad' activity type books, small little novelty games (like they used to have for party favors, the little plastic ones with silver balls that have to go through a maze or something like that), a "Fuzzy Freddy" (the one with the iron shavings you can use with a magnetic stylus to arrange around the guy's face-- everyone was playing with that at our camping trip this summer, even the adults).... I would focus on finding things which would be good for helping families pass the time. Maybe also a list of close, good take-out restaurants (and their phone numbers)and necessary services nearby (copy shop, places with wi-fi to go for a cup of coffee while their child is sleeping and check email, etc.) and kid-friendly amenities if they have siblings with them.
You know, it might be a good question to ask on this forum: if/when your child was in the hospital, what would it have been helpful to have or to know about.... I haven't had that experience myself, but I'm sure there are plenty of moms who could speak to this.
ETA: do remember to go with scent-free products as some of the kids at the hospital or their families may have chemical sensitivities.
One time use cameras and a gift card to the closest film developer (CVS, Walgreens etc etc).
Non-melting snacks.
Puzzle balls and mind teasers.
Give the little holiday crafts anyway, that come in bulk and separate supplies in ziplocks. If someone gets it and doesn't celebrate that particular holiday, they probably would just give it away to another family or just leave it in the family room/lobby area.
Handwritten notes of prayers and encouragement. Makes your gesture of giving the goody bag even more meaningful to someone with a child in the hospital.
They do need practical items, like gift cards. But a little sparkle, never hurt anybody!
For mamas, I'm thinking sample things from Bath and Body.
For Dads, the gift card for food
For kids, some kind of toy without batteries, like cards or sidewalk chalk or a dot to dot, puzzles, a big enough ball not to swallow, a frisbee.
Speak with the coordinator, see if they can accept home made food kits. i.e. choc. chip cookie ingredients in a mason jar or ziplock.
maybe you can assemble the makings for a pasta nicer dinner i.e. pasta, jarred capers, jarred sundried tomatos, canned olives, canned artichoke, canned roasted red peppers, parmesan cheese, garlic, pesto and pasta sauce, x 10 for the pantry, or in 10 gift baskets.
similar concept but an at home movie night. 2 bags of micowave popcorn, a bag of tortillas, a jar of cheese sauce, a jar or salsa, a bag of twizzlers, a box of chocolate non pariels, and a redbox gift certificate, or fam friendly dvd i.e. the princess bride, the wizard of oz, the muppets take manhattan.
bless you for including a service.
F. B.
We donate regularly to the RMH and have also stayed there on two different occasions. You picked a very worthy organization to help!!
Ideas for in-room gift bags:
snacks, bottled water, gum, coloring books, crayons, pens/paper, little packs of tissues, toothbrushes, travel shampoo, travel deodorant, travel toothpaste, etc. (some people arrive at the RMH totally unprepared).
If you wanted to go a different route, you could just donate items the RMH. We usually donate things like: cases of water, Clorox wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, etc. They also accept travel shampoo, travel toothpaste, etc. Sometimes parents show up in an emergency situation and didn't have time to "pack".
Or, since you have so many amazing volunteers, can you volunteer to cook 2 nights and split the group in 1/2?
Most houses also have a play room, so they accept NEW toys, DVDs, crayons, etc.
So many possibilities!!
Maybe some snacks like trail mix, dried fruit, chocolate, cookies or cr crackers. Also a small game like a fun/different card game (not just a plain pack of cards) or those little games w/ the pegs on a board w/ holes. I think my son found one of those that was "basketball" at dollar tree. You rolled the mini dice and depending on what you rolled determined how many spaces you moved. Crossword puzzles or word searches. A list of nearby restaurants w/ the address and maybe a menu.
My first thought was things like soap, shampoo, you know hygiene type stuff - good smelling bubble bath, a nice wash cloth - all nicely arranged in a basket. You could also put a few things in for the kids like crayons and color book. I would stay away from the holiday stuff because many people don't celebrate and you certainly don't want to offend anyone who's emotions are already on overload.
