Features
Utah County communities invited to bring comfort to families at Primary Children’s
April Slaughter | Lehi Free Press
A child’s hospital stay can narrow family life to the next test, the next update, and the next long stretch of waiting. In those hours, a warm meal, clean clothes, a toothbrush or a toy can offer something simple but deeply needed: a measure of comfort.
The Lehi Free Press is inviting residents throughout northern Utah County to help provide that comfort through a donation drive benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Family Room at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Miller Family Campus, in Lehi. The newspaper office will serve as a collection point through Oct. 1.
The Family Room is a place where parents and other caregivers can breathe, rest and tend to basic needs without going far from a hospitalized child. Located on the hospital’s third level, it includes a kitchen and dining area, living room, quiet meeting spaces, laundry facilities, showers, restrooms and four overnight guest rooms.
Families can find a meal, wash clothing, take a shower, rest for a while or sit in a quieter space while remaining close to their child’s bedside. All amenities are provided free of charge.
For a family focused on a child’s health, even a small practical need can become one more concern in an already difficult day. Readily available snacks, toiletries, paper goods and comfort items allow caregivers to meet those needs without leaving the hospital. A stuffed animal or game can also give a child a welcome distraction in unfamiliar surroundings.
Ronald McDonald House Mountain West has identified the following items as those most needed for the Lehi Family Room:
· New toys, games, crafts or stuffed animals
· Disposable forks and spoons
· Large paper plates and bowls
· Individually packaged snacks, including cookies and chips
· New blankets
· Travel-size toothpaste, deodorant and lotion
· Hair ties, nail clippers and hairbrushes
· Menstrual products
All donated items must be new to help protect the health of pediatric patients and their families. Food should be commercially packaged and unexpired.
The requested items offer ways to participate at nearly any price point. A resident may contribute a single blanket, a package of hair ties or a box of disposable utensils. Families, neighborhoods, schools, churches and businesses may also collect one category of supplies or assemble a larger donation from the list.
Each contribution will become part of a shared effort across surrounding communities to care for families during days that can feel frightening, exhausting and uncertain.
Donations may be brought to the Lehi Free Press office at 29 N. 100 W. in Lehi. The office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Readers may bring one item or several, and every contribution will be added to the community collection.
The Lehi Family Room is part of Ronald McDonald House Mountain West’s network of services for families of pediatric patients. Unlike the organization’s residential house in Salt Lake City, a Family Room is located within a hospital, allowing caregivers to remain only steps from the medical units where their children are receiving care.
Community volunteers also help make meals available through Ronald McDonald House Mountain West’s “Together at the Table” program. Groups of up to eight people may plan, purchase, prepare and serve food at the Lehi location and are asked to provide enough for about 30 individuals. Food must be store-bought, catered or prepared in the on-site kitchen rather than in a volunteer’s home.
Those who prefer to donate directly or want to view the organization’s broader wish list may visit ronaldmcdonaldhousemountainwest.org/give/inkind. Information about volunteering to provide a meal is available at ronaldmcdonaldhousemountainwest.org/serve/meals.
No donation can remove the fear that accompanies a child’s illness or injury. It can, however, make one part of a difficult day gentler. A snack within reach, clean toiletries, a soft blanket, or something new for a child to hold can remind families that they are not facing those days alone.
The Lehi Free Press encourages readers across northern Utah County to support families by bringing new donations to the newspaper office through Oct. 1.
