Hot Meal Guidelines Ronald McDonald House of Dayton Last modified 7/16/2017
Table of Contents 1. Program Overview 2. Eligible Participants a. Five Key Procedures to Safer Food 3. Scheduling a Meal 4. Planning a Meal 5. Meal Preparation a. CDC Hand Washing Guidelines b. Federal Food Safety s Guide For Minimum Temperatures 6. Serving the Meal 7. Cleaning Up 8. Guest Privacy, Safety and Reasonable Boundaries
Program Overview In times of medical crisis, it is traditional for friends and neighbors to prepare meals for loved ones. At the Ronald McDonald House, our guests are families experiencing the incredible stress of having a seriously ill or injured child but without the comfort of their own homes. Through our Hot Meal program we invite individuals, families and groups to share the gift of comfort and sustenance in our House by donating, preparing and cooking a meal for our guests. A warm, home-cooked meal can often be the highlight of a family s day.
Eligible Participants Individuals, families, and groups are invited to participate in our Hot Meal program. Due to safety considerations groups may not consist of more than 10 people and should be primarily composed of adults. Youth ages 13 through 17 can participate but a minimum of one adult for every three youth is required. Children under 13 who are not registered as guests are not permitted to be in the House without prior approval. All participants must be in good health and have reviewed the World Health Organization s Five Key Procedures to Safer Food. A link to these procedures is provided below, and a hard copy will be mailed to each provider prior to their first meal date. http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/consumer/en/5keys_en.pdf
Scheduling a Meal The Dayton Ronald McDonald House schedules brunch between 9 AM and 11 AM on the weekends, and dinner between 5 and 6:30 PM each night of the week. Meals can be scheduled on a reoccurring basis (monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly) or just one time. To match your availability to our meal calendar please contact Genna Stoffel at gstoffel@rmhcdayton.org.
Planning a Meal Meal providers will be purchasing groceries, preparing food and cooking a full meal for 30 to 35 people. Each dinner should include a main course, a side dish and a vegetable. Desserts, while optional, are always appreciated! When creating a menu it is helpful to remember that the majority of our guests are adults. While there are no dietary restrictions we do ask that you clearly label foods that contain well known allergens, such as dairy, nuts wheat and soy. High risk foods, such as shellfish, non-pasteurized juice or milk, raw seed sprouts or undercooked meat, fish and eggs are prohibited. Meal providers are encouraged to think of dishes that can be easily divided and reheated. Please let the meal coordinator know what you plan to bring one week in advance so they can work to make sure menu items will not be duplicated throughout the week.
Meal Preparation For sanitary reasons all meals must be prepared at the Ronald McDonald House from unopened packaged ingredients, delivered in their proper condition. For instance, frozen foods must still be frozen solid, refrigerated items cold, and canned/boxed items sealed with an expiration date printed on them. Transportation guidelines for food will be mailed out to all new providers prior to their first scheduled meal date. Meals will be prepared in the House kitchen. Providers will have access to four stove tops, four ovens and one gas grill. All necessary cookware and utensils are provided, though meal providers are also permitted to bring their own disposable pans. When preparing a meal all providers must follow the CDC s hand washing guidelines. A link to them is provided below and a copy will be mailed to all new providers prior to their first scheduled meal date. http://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/ Additionally, all providers are required to wear gloves. Gloves may not be reused and must be changed between working with raw and ready to eat foods. Gloves will be provided to all meal providers upon arrival. All fruits and vegetables used in dishes or served whole must be washed and all meat must be cooked to an acceptable minimum temperature. A meat thermometer will be available and a copy of the Federal Food Safety s guide for minimum temperatures will be posted. That guide can also be found by following the link below. http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html
Wash Your Hands Keeping hands clean is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness. Handwashing is easy to do and it's one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness in all settings from your home and workplace to child care facilities and hospitals. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community. Learn more about when and how to wash your hands. When should you wash your hands? Before, during, and after preparing food Before eating food Before and after caring for someone who is sick Before and after treating a cut or wound After using the toilet After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste After touching garbage What is the right way to wash your hands? Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap. Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice. Rinse your hands well under running water. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry. Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs. Hand sanitizers are not effective when hands are visibly dirty. How should you use hand sanitizer? Apply the product to the palm of one hand. Rub your hands together. Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. For more information on handwashing, please visit CDC's Handwashing website. You can also call 1-800- CDC-INFO, or email cdcinfo@cdc.gov for answers to specific questions.
Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Use this chart and a food thermometer to ensure that meat, poultry, seafood, and other cooked foods reach a safe minimum internal temperature. Remember, you can t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at it. Any cooked, uncured red meats including pork can be pink, even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. Why the Rest Time is Important After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs. Category Food Temperature ( F) Rest Time Ground Meat & Meat Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb 160 None Mixtures Turkey, Chicken 165 None Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb Steaks, roasts, chops 145 3 minutes Poultry Chicken & Turkey, whole 165 None Poultry breasts, roasts 165 None Poultry thighs, legs, wings 165 None Duck & Goose 165 None Stuffing (cooked alone or 165 None in bird) Pork and Ham Fresh pork 145 3 minutes Fresh ham (raw) 145 3 minutes Precooked ham (to 140 None reheat) Eggs & Egg Dishes Eggs Cook until yolk and white are firm None Egg dishes 160 None Leftovers & Casseroles Leftovers 165 None Casseroles 165 None Seafood Fin Fish 145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates None easily with a fork. Shrimp, lobster, and crabs Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque. None Clams, oysters, and mussels Cook until shells open during cooking. None Scallops Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm. None http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html
Serving the Meal The prepared food can be set out on the counter for families to access, but may remain there no more than one hour. After an hour food must be repackaged into sealed containers and stored at proper temperature. Meal providers are welcome to stay while the food is out, but not required. Should a provider choose to leave prior to the food being put away it is important that they let the Guest Service Manager on duty know that they are departing and what time the food will need to be put away. All providers should note that though we do have scheduled meal times, many guests choose to stay with their hospitalized children during those periods and heat up leftovers later on.
Cleaning Up Meal providers are responsible for leaving the kitchen in the same condition they found it. All cookware used should be washed with soap and hot water and then loaded into a dishwasher to be sanitized. Stove tops, ovens and grills should be clean, floors swept and free of debris and all hard services used wiped down with Clorox wipes. All necessary cleaning supplies will be provided by the House.
Alternative Options If a meal provider is unable to prepare a meal in House but would still like to provide one, store bought frozen entrees, such as lasagna, barbeque or pizza are graciously accepted. When paired with a few bags of salad and a side item, such as rolls these foods can still provide a full meal for our families. All items must be sealed and in their original packaging to be accepted. Food prepared at a licensed retail food establishment, such as a pizza place or carry out restaurant can be accepted if it has been protected from contamination and is delivered directly from the retail establishment. Food left over from outside meetings or events will not be accepted.
Guest Privacy, Safety and Reasonable Boundaries The safety and comfort of our guests is our top priority. While meal providers are welcome to interact with guest families it is imperative they respect their right to privacy and observe reasonable boundaries. While not an inclusive list, guidelines for doing so can be found below: Photographs of your group are permitted. However, no guest should be visible in it without their explicit consent. Meal providers are limited to the common areas of the House. Under no circumstances is a meal provider permitted to enter a guest room. Meal providers may not take responsibility for supervising or caring for a guest s child in the absence of a parent. A meal provider should never be left alone with a child residing at RMH. Ronald McDonald House Charities is a non-denominational organization. Passing out any type of religiously themed literature or engaging in any time of religious solicitation is prohibited. Weapons (of any kind) are not permitted on the premises, nor are drugs or alcohol. Failure to abide by these guidelines, or otherwise observe reasonable boundaries, may result in an individual or group being asked to leave.
Thank You The Ronald McDonald House serves over 50,000 meals per year to families with hospitalized children. These meals provide so much more than just nourishment to our guests; they are a source of comfort, a sense of normalcy, for the families staying at our House just when they need it the most. This valuable service would not be possible without the generous support of our community. We are so grateful for each and every one of our meal providers, and all that they do for our families. Thank you.