Lauren Clark, left, and Faith Rivera load sheets of garlic bread into the oven.Mary’s Pantry Challenge
Mary’s Pantry, the food pantry that supports meals and snacks for families living in the Ronald McDonald House or families visiting the Family Room inside Children’s Hospital at Erlanger, is named in memory of Mary Stancil. As a memorial to the volunteer, a Mary’s Pantry Endowment Fund has been established with a goal of $350,000. Two challenge gifts totaling $75,000 have been made for the fund, so every dollar donated during May will be matched through this challenge.
Chicken Parmesan Bake was the night’s entree at the Ronald McDonald House.
Olivia Masterson, right, drains pasta while Sarah Simmons looks on.Teenagers Olivia Masterson and Sarah Simmons know their way around a kitchen, but neither has ever cooked for 60 people before.
But the teens took on that challenge when 11 contestants in the Distinguished Young Woman of Rhea County Program (formerly known as Junior Miss) made a visit to the Ronald McDonald House of Chattanooga to cook dinner for families temporarily lodging there.
Olivia says there were so many cooks in the kitchen, their group divided into halves: One toured the facility while the other cooked, then they swapped.
It was Sarah’s first visit to the nonprofit, where families of hospitalized children may live in order to remain near their sick children.