GrainCorp is partnering with Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Australia to help provide a ‘home away from home’ for seriously ill and injured children and their families in regional and remote areas.
RMHC supports over 35,000 families in Australia each year, by providing programs to help families with children undergoing medical treatment in hospitals.
Ronald McDonald Houses are at the cornerstone of their charity, accommodating over 9,500 Australian families and their children in 2022.
Through the GrainCorp Community Foundation, GrainCorp will be sponsoring rooms at Ronald McDonald Houses across Australia, including Brisbane, Sydney, Wagga Wagga, Parkville and Tamworth.
This support will ensure families have a place to stay near hospitals, complete with playrooms, kitchen and laundry facilities, as well as relieve the cost of maintenance, upkeep, and linen supplies for each of these rooms.
Barbara Ryan, RMHC Australia CEO, says RMHC’s partnership with GrainCorp will support rural and regional families traveling great distances to receive medical treatment.
“GrainCorp share a great passion for our cause, and we are excited to partner with a company who supports families when they need it most, right in their own communities,” she says.
“The Charity is truly grateful for the huge difference GrainCorp will make in the lives of families with seriously ill and injured children.”
GrainCorp’s partnership with RMHC is in addition to previous support for their northern NSW branch through the Grain Harvest Management Scheme.
This scheme offered growers delivering to GrainCorp the chance to donate extra grain that exceeded their truck mass limit to RMHC Northern NSW, amounting to over $100,000 in donations.
GrainCorp Community Engagement Manager Kyle Docherty says the new partnership underscores the company’s commitment to enriching the lives of the communities in which it operates.
“It is a privilege for us to work with RMHC. The charity is well-known and well-respected, and contributes to making a difference in the lives of rural and regional families facing unimaginable challenges.
“We’re pleased to play our part in supporting RMHC’s continued delivery of services for families doing it tough – especially those enduring hardships in the bush.”
Kyle Docherty, Community Engagement Manager
In addition to sponsoring rooms, GrainCorp employees will be able to volunteer at each of the sponsored locations.
“These initiatives align with our commitment to enhancing our Community Leave program and encouraging our people to contribute to their communities,” Kyle concludes.
Supporting rural families: RMHC Wagga Wagga
One of GrainCorp’s sponsored rooms is in Ronald McDonald House Wagga Wagga, which assisted close to 150 families throughout 2022.
“The families travel as far as Griffith and Hilltops in the west, Jerilderie, South West NSW and everywhere in between,” says Kiara Breust, Wagga Wagga Fundraising & Marketing Manager.
“Many of these cases are mothers with high-risk pregnancies or parents with very sick children, so it’s important that we can take the stress out of finding accommodation for them.”
Paris Burrill and her children, Cameron and Cecilia, from Narrandera, NSW, regularly stay at Ronald McDonald House Wagga Wagga, where both children receive essential medical treatment at nearby Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.
Paris shares, “We often need to be in Wagga at least 4 times a week. Without the House, we wouldn’t be able to access the treatment, as I wouldn’t be able to afford accommodation and costs.”
“It’s been my life for several years now and it’s amazing to have a welcoming space where we can be together as a family.”
To find out more about the GrainCorp Community Foundation and its initiatives, visit https://www.graincorp.com.au/community-foundation/.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)
For over 40 years, RMHC has helped Australian families through some of their most difficult times. Their range of programs, supporting over 35,000 families a year, help families to spend more time with their loved ones and enjoy more everyday moments together when they need it most. At the cornerstone of the charity is the Ronald McDonald Houses, which, in 2022, accommodated over 9,500 Aussie families while their children underwent treatment in a nearby hospital.
