My two roommates and I are sitting at our wooden brown kitchen table sharing stories and pasta. I remember one of the first times I ever cooked pasta, I was with my mom and we were volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House with a few other moms and daughters.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas’ mission is “to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families.” Their goal is to provide a “home-away-from-home” for families with children in the hospital so they can be right by their side during that difficult time. My mom and I decided to put our cooking skills to the test by volunteering with their Meals from the Heart program.
Meals from the Heart
Meals from the Heart provides the family with food options on the RMHC campus, so they don’t have to deal with the hassle or financial burden of bringing their own food with them. RMHC provides the kitchen. The volunteers “choose the menu, purchase the ingredients, prepare the meal and serve [the] families.”
The Central Texas chapter was founded in 1985 on the idea that “nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child,” and since then, they have been able to support over 34 thousand families. Volunteering with them, helped me build community with my mom and the other volunteers, as well as it let me use my love of being in the kitchen to help others.
If you are interested in volunteering with RMHC, there are tons of campuses throughout the world, and they could always use an extra set of hands. Find your local RMHC here: https://rmhc.org/find-a-chapter. You can also donate from the comfort of your kitchen using this link: https://rmhc.org/donate
Pasta is one of the most fun meals to make, whether it is for you, your friends, or your local RMHC, because it is so simple and customizable. I am always spontaneously adjusting my pasta recipe, except for a couple constants. I always save some pasta water (aka liquid gold) to add into my pasta sauce, I always salt my pasta water, and I never stray away from two pasta brands.
Trader Joe’s Organic Fusilli Corti Bucati Pasta is always on my grocery list. Who doesn’t love a unique pasta shape? And it only has two simple ingredients: organic durum wheat semolina and water. Banza Pasta is also one of my go-to’s. All of their pasta, no matter the shape, is made from chickpeas and is packed with protein and fiber.
My wildcard pick is the Trader Joe’s seasonal Fall Zucchette Pasta which is made from butternut squash and looks like baby pumpkins which is so perfect when autumn rolls around.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/discover/stories/fall-products-2024
I hope you enjoyed my pasta and philanthropy recommendations. RMHC is very special to me for it’s mission and the memories I made with my mom. Next time you eat pasta, feel free to scroll through their website to learn about their 50 years of global impact for some food for thought. https://rmhc.org/rmhc-family-stories/50yearsimpact
Alexandra Gillette 
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