The holidays can be an especially difficult time for seriously-ill children receiving medical treatment. They all miss the comforts of home, gifts under the Christmas tree and their own special traditions with family. In an effort to spread the joy of the season, the team at Sutton – Premier Realty recently delivered food and gifts to Ronald McDonald House at the Surrey Memorial Hospital.
“As an office we were able to donate 500 diapers, 30 onesies, 40 toys, Tim Hortons gift cards and toiletries, and filled up the kitchen with dry food goods,” Broker Larry Anderson said
“In total, we delivered about $1,800 worth of items purchased thanks to the efforts of our entire office at multiple fundraisers this year.”
Anderson said he hopes to make this contribution an annual event. “We will be helping Ronald McDonald House all year round by trying to keep their kitchen full and whatever else they may need,” he added.
On November 28, the charity was thrilled to receive the donated food and gifts, which will be distributed to families throughout December. Most families arrive from elsewhere in British Columbia and must take time away from work leaving them with limited funds for Christmas shopping.
The Ronald McDonald Family Room at Surrey Memorial Hospital is a house within the hospital. It offers four private bedrooms with showers, kitchen and laundry facilities, a lounge, TV, computer stations and a children’s play area. In 2017, the Ronald McDonald Family Room served 575 families with 611 child patients who arrived from as close as the Lower Mainland to as far away as Uganda.
