Citizen Club visited the Ronald McDonald House near the University of Chicago Hospital on Saturday, Feb. 18. However, the visit wasn’t about politics or current events; it was about giving back to families in need.

“Our job was to prepare dinner for the families living at the Ronald McDonald House. About a dozen club members and our two sponsors brought prepared food. Using the House’s kitchen, we unpacked the food, cooked it, and set up dinner for the guests. We made things like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, ham, salad, and other things like that,” said Luke Chen, senior.

The Ronald McDonald House is a charity that provides a temporary home for the families of critically-ill or injured children who are seeking treatment at the University of Chicago Hospital.

“Knowing that the people there are going through a very hard time, it makes me genuinely happy to help them out in any way possible. Making and serving dinner was the least we could do,” said Lucas Mayer, Co-President.

The club expected to serve dinner for around 45 people, and it prepared a large amount of food in the House’s expansive kitchen. However, there wasn’t quite as many people there as the club expected.

“It was really important to make sure that there was enough food for everyone, so we made a lot. However, there wasn’t as many people this time, so we donated all of the extra food to the Ronald McDonald House. We left it in the refrigerator so that families could have it for lunch.”

According to Mayer, though it was only a day of volunteering, the act means a great deal to the club members.

“It’s so easy to make a difference in the community and donate a day of your time and effort to a good cause,” Mayer said.