Meal Calendar

Important Volunteer Update – April 2, 2020

We are so grateful for the meal volunteers who have continued to serve our families and medical staff during this period. Since we now have food restrictions to our in-house families to limit community interaction, we are providing individual frozen meals for them. We know that there are still families in the hospitals with sick children and they, along with the medical staff working relentlessly, have limited access to the cafeterias. To meet these food needs, we are now asking meal volunteers to donate a meal through restaurants and have them delivered to Lutheran or Dupont Hospitals. I will confirm with the volunteer which hospital they’d like to support and then I will communicate with the Unit-specific medical staff to receive the delivery.

If you are currently scheduled to be a volunteer in the month of April, I will be reaching out to you to confirm if you would still like to commit to a meal donation. If you choose to pass, we completely understand as this is a very difficult time for us all.

If you would like to sign up to donate a meal to the hospital, please fill out the form below for either hospital. I will then connect with you to confirm the details. The amount of food delivered is completely up to you – we are thankful for your support! Here are a few resources to help you choose local meals:

Website with list of local restaurants offering carry-out meals and services that will deliver for you.

This is a Facebook group for information on local restaurants and their current menus and hours.

Family favorites include: Mexican (tacos!), sub sandwiches, BBQ, Italian pasta, and pizza!

These are incredibly challenging circumstances with no easy answers, and it is our hope that we will be able to return to normal as soon as possible! In the meantime, we remain committed to serving our families even when they are not at the House. We are so grateful for your continued support to our mission and families.

Sara Binkley, Volunteer Coordinator
sara@childrenshopefw.org

Join our hometown chef program!

Help make a difference in the lives of families that are facing a medical crisis by providing a home-cooked meal. Please click the “Sign Up Now” button to sign up for any of the available dates you see in the calendar below. Only your first name and initial of last name will be visible on the calendar.

We thank you for your generous support! If you need to make any changes to the date/s you selected, please email sara@childrenshopefw.org or call 260-459-8550. You are also welcome to contact the House directly to schedule a meal.

Lutheran Meal Preparation / Drop off times – Please arrive between the hours below to begin preparing the meal or to drop it off. You are more than welcome to stay after staff hours to enjoy the meal with the families and clean up:
Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:00pm / Sat-Sun 12:00pm-4:30pm

Dupont Meal Preparation / Drop off times – Please arrive between the hours below to begin preparing the meal or to drop it off. You are more than welcome to stay after staff hours to enjoy the meal with the families and clean up:
Mon-Fri: 4:00pm-7:00pm / Sat-Sun: 12:00pm-4:30pm

Call to make arrangements if you can not make it during these times.

For safety purposes, we require that all meals be either:

prepared in our kitchen
catered by a restaurant
prepared in a commercial kitchen
pre-made food from a grocery store (ex: Costco, Gordons)

(Please scroll down to meal calendar to view open dates before signing up.)

Sign-up for Lutheran Hospital Meal Calendar

Sign-up for Dupont Hospital Meal Calendar

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I/we have to prepare the meal at Children’s Hope House?

If the meal is not prepared in our kitchen, then it must be catered by a restaurant, come prepackage from a grocery store (i.e. Gordons, Costco, Kroger, etc), or prepared in a commercial kitchen. These are the guidelines from the Allen County Department of Health that we are required to follow.

We have a beautiful kitchen that is perfect for meal preparation. We have all the equipment needed to help you and your group prepare a wonderful meal. We also have a fully stocked pantry and we welcome the use of any of the items in our community pantry.

Can I utilize items in the Children’s Hope House pantry?

Yes! We welcome our Hometown Chef’s to get creative and utilize items we have on site. Often our Chef’s utilize a combination of items in our pantry and purchase the remaining items needed to prepare a complete meal. It’s basically like being an Iron Chef…well pretty much.

How many people do I need to cook for?

We recommend preparing a meal for at least 10 to 12 individuals. We have found that this amount of food is always enough and helps us reduce waste.

Can we eat with the families?

Absolutely! Sharing a meal with our families is the best part about our Hometown Chef program. Often the families we serve love sharing their journey with our staff and volunteers. It reinforces the need for mission and the need for our amazing volunteers like you. Remember, however, the families are all on different schedules, so we can not guarantee how many guests will be here at the House when you arrive.

What time should we arrive with the meal?

We have staff at the Lutheran House until 4:30 M-F and from 12-5 on the weekends. We have staff at the Dupont House from 4-8pm M-F and from 12-5 on the weekends. If you cannot arrive in these time frames, please contact us to make other arrangements. Most guests will have dinner between 5-6:30, however, everyone is on their own schedule and come and go based on their circumstance.

What about dietary restrictions?

Don’t sweat it. Our families know their needs best, they will regulate their own dietary needs.

What if I arrive and the door is locked?

We are sorry we missed you. You’ll see staff phone numbers posted at the front door.

What about cleaning up?

It’s a messy job, but someone has to do it. If you cook in our kitchen, please clean utensils and other equipment needed during the cooking process. After that, your obligation has been met. You do not need to clean up after our families.

Is it OK to leave food out?

Yes. We have wonderful night managers at the Children’s Hope House. They will make sure your food is safely labeled and refrigerated after the meal time.