This week ten Lakers received an early mark to make a small difference to the lives of families at Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Randwick.

Ronald McDonald House (RMH) has been operating in Australia since 1981, with as many as 299 families staying at a RMH on any given night seeking a home-away-from-home for seriously ill children and their families.It is an essential resource for families who live away from adequate services and who require a home-away-from-home during difficult times.

After April’s Indian curry smorgasbord the menu this time around was a Greek Feast, with Jamie Finnegan from our office drawing inspiration from Jamie Oliver’s ‘Gorgeous Greek Chicken, Herby Vegetable Couscous & Tzatziki’. Healthy, quick and tasty.

The boys dutifully shopped for ingredients while the girls supplied the team with caffeine and we set about preparing the feast for a 6.30pm dinner. Simon Robinson made short work of several bags of onion to add to the salad that Johanna Peirce was creating. Ant was on team chicken, working wonders with herbs. Haylee Brittliffe headed up the barbecue department outside while families mingled in the courtyard. Jamie let out his stress of coordinating the entire evening on the food processor to create the herby vegetable mix, while Zoe Murray and Madeleine Gasparinatos made enough couscous to feed an army. Emma Jones put her hand up early as fruit-salad Queen and certainly delivered. Meanwhile Kevin Griffiths nominated himself as chief food-taster and Gareth Linnard rounded out the team effort providing a marvellous assistance as Head of Logistics and dishwashing.

With plenty of lemon and mint leftover we served up lemonade au natural as the children and their families descended upon the tables right on 6.30pm. For starters there were stuffed vine leaves, hummous and pita bread, with Greek salad, Jamie’s gorgeous couscous chicken creation and homemade tzatziki as main.

For dessert there was a tropical fruit salad with thick Greek yoghurt, honey and walnuts. We may have over catered slightly on the couscous with three commercial sized trays being placed in the fridge for midnight snacks and dinner throughout the week.

Families piled their plates high and spread out across the indoor and outdoor area, making the most of the warm Spring evening. Mealtimes at RMH are a great opportunity for everyone to band together, enjoy a communal dinner and chat about anything and everything.

The whiteboard calendar that lists other organisations and companies volunteering to cook up a meal looks healthy, but there are plenty more spaces that can be filled. If you or your company are able to assist with the evening meal program, or in any other charitable action for Ronald McDonald House Charity, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with them directly. Visit RMHC here.

Being able to lend a hand just for one evening makes a huge difference, and it’s something that MitchelLake look forward to continuing.