The RHIM Association partnered with Eta Sigma Delta to make meals for the Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock.
Students in the Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management (RHIM) Association partnered with Eta Sigma Delta to make meals for the Lubbock Ronald McDonald House. This program allows the people who live at the Ronald McDonald House always to have a meal ready for them when needed. The Freezer Friends program stores prepared meals given to the families at a later date.
For a while, the Ronald McDonald house only allowed food donations that were canned goods or nonperishables. Now, organizations can donate food that is fresh and homemade. The RHIM Association use knowledge learned in their courses to make meals for the Ronald McDonald House.
The RHIM Association's goal for this event was to have fun and utilize the students cooking skills learned in their major while making meals to give back and help their community through the Ronald McDonald house. Madelynn Baker, an RHIM student and the President of the RHIM Association, shared her experience volunteering with the Ronald McDonald House.
“Our goal for the organization was to have fun with our members and utilize the cooking skills learned in our major while making meals to give back to the community for the Ronald McDonald House,” Baker said. “We ended up making enchilada casseroles; we made two chicken, two beef, and a meatless option.”
The event was held on March 8th, 2022, at SkyViews restaurant. SkyViews is a restaurant located in the Texas Tech Plaza building. It's operated by RHIM students and allows them to get real-world experience with running and working in the restaurant world. RHIM students learn techniques and managerial skills and get to implement them in real situations.
“Being an RHIM major definitely helped the event service because we utilize many skills we learn in our major's core classes,” Baker said.
The RHIM program allows students to receive 1200 hours of practical workspace experience while also gaining real-world experience by helping the community where they live with the skills they are learning in class. There are many unique opportunities for RHIM students in the College of Human Sciences. Students get to have hands-on experience working in the Overton Hotel and in SkyViews, which both allow them to interact with real customers in a retail setting.