South Florida program serves up comfort food for families in need who live at Ronald McDonald House

A South Florida initiative is helping the families of hospitalized children by serving up a little comfort Belkys Nerey heads to the kitchen in tonight s Spotlight Eight-year-old Zane Robinson loves to sing Zane Robinson humming You don t have to change a thing the world could change its heart It helps her cope with long days at the hospital Lafayne Robinson She s getting treated at Nicklaus Children s Hospital for acute lymphoblastic leukemia When Zane was diagnosed with leukemia she and her mother Lafayne flew from Jamaica to South Florida for healing They were staying with a friend in Tamarac and spending a fortune on rides to and from the hospital every day They didn t have much money left over for food Lafayne Robinson Sometimes we don t know where the next meal is coming from They were offered a free room at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida near the University of Miami Hospital Soraya Rivera-Moya And just we provide peace of mind to those parents so they don t have to worry about anything else and just focus on their child They also don t have to worry about finding a hot meal thanks to the Meals from the Heart initiative The effort allows people and groups across South Florida to provide a meal for the families living at the Ronald McDonald House Soraya Rivera-Moya So it s one of our bulk popular programs because you re able to see the development of your effort of your time and your talent The Meals from the Heart venture is made manageable solely by helpers if you can believe it It s really easy The supporters reserve the day that they want to come either a lunch or a dinner and they can make their meals here in the Ronald McDonald House kitchen or they can bring in catered food and help serve it So if you wanna participate in this operation it could not be any easier Thekle Charles The helpers are amazing amazing They are so welcoming they treat you with a lot of love Thekle Charles and her daughter Janelle are from Antigua They ve been coming to Ronald McDonald House ever since Janelle was diagnosed with bone cancer eight years ago Now she s cancer-free but she demands therapy to regrow the bone in her leg and it s very expensive Thekle Charles Selected parents can t afford anything else but the hospital bill Sometimes not even that Thekle and Janelle are thankful for the helpers who cook up something special for them every day Belkys Nerey So how s the food Thekle The food is great great Look I ate something in the present day oh my Amazing you know For Zane and her mom they know a homecooked meal is perpetually waiting for them Zane Robinson It s really generous of them very kind That gives Zane yet another reason to sing Zane Robinson serenading No scars to your beautiful we re stars and we re beautiful And the Meals from the Heart plan is a beautiful way for anyone to help serve up a little comfort for families facing tough times Belkys Nerey News FOR MORE INFO Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida NW th TerraceMiami FL Website Meals from the Heart ProgramWebsite If you know of a person place or group that you think we should highlight email us at spotlight wsvn com