CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — It can’t be said enough: Families going through medical challenges need help more than ever right now.
KRIS 6 News Roland Rodriguez looks into what changes and ways the Ronald McDonald House of Corpus Christi is keeping up with social distancing and keeping people safe while keeping families together.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ronald McDonald House of Corpus Christi is still helping families in need, just not as many.
Before the pandemic, the organization was hosting 25 families. On average they had 45-60 people in the house at one time. Now with strict guidelines, they only have a 25 percent occupancy.
“It hurts our hearts to be really honest because we know that there are a lot of families out there that need to be here, that need to be served. But at the same time, we also have to protect the families and the very compromised immune systems of the families that have been inside the house,” said Ronald McDonald House of Corpus Christi CEO Michelle Mauch Horine.
There are also no more volunteers; only essential personnel are allowed in the building. That is why KRIS 6 News was only allowed to shoot video from outside the front door.
“Unfortunately, we had to get very creative so we asked our volunteers to actually take photos so that our volunteers have written notes of support, and we hung them on the wall inside. We have our volunteers dropping off cards that we will put in their mailboxes,” said Horine.
Even the way meals are served has changed. Businesses and community groups would typically be in the kitchen, not only preparing, but also covering the cost of meals.
“We have asked the community, instead of coming in and cooking meals, if they could cater a meal for our families. It looks very different; however, we are still able to provide some support and the services our families are used to having,” said Horine.
The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is hitting this organization hard as fundraising events have been canceled.
The Ronald McDonald House of Corpus Christi has lost $500,000 or more in revenue this year.