Several times a year, I bring different groups of people to cook dinner for the families at the Ronald McDonald House in Southern NJ, and this is one of my favorite things to do with my foundation! We also visit and gift books to the Philadelphia RMH but our hearts are in the Southern NJ house where we have grown to know the folks that work there. We try to prepare something different every time and are always welcomed with open arms and big smiles from the guests of the house and complimented on the delicious foods. This year was a bit unusual since I booked it right after my event instead of waiting until spring, and I had plenty of my books donated to gift the parents after dinner was served.
We prepared a wonderful array of summer foods for dinner, including ribs, BB pulled chicken, potato salad, pasta salad, beans, mac and cheese, fresh fruit salad, and homemade cookies and brownies. We thought it was an appropriate break from all of the cold weather we have had. So, as we cooked, a gentlemen walked in and asked what we were doing. After I answered him, a bit puzzled, he told me he was supposed to cook dinner for the families with his Rotary Club that night…..???? We laughed and thought maybe he showed up the wrong day, and I invited him to join us. A few minutes later, the rest of the group came and had lots of food to serve as well. We were all puzzled and while laughing about it, we learned a small glitch in the computer system canceled their group for the evening and scheduled us instead. After a bit of confusion, we invited them to join us, adding a 6 foot hoagie and some cooked cabbage to the menu, opting to freeze the rest for another time. We laughed, dined with them, and thoroughly enjoyed their company. We shared a lovely evening with RMH, the wonderful warm families, all of the children, and our new friends from the Medford Rotary. We look forward to seeing them again, and they have invited me to speak to their group in the very near future. So you see, everything happens for a reason.
