Rosenbaum Family House again welcomes community participation for meal program
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Rosenbaum Family House (RFH) is inviting community members back to the facility as the meal program resumes normal operations for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elizabeth Kanosky, house coordinator for RFH, said program volunteers, including various groups, churches, charitable organizations, clubs, and families, provided dinner most nights for those staying at the house.
“Right before COVID, we had 287 groups that cooked in-house for us, which means we had home-cooked meals every weeknight and some weekends,” she explained. “We would love to get back to that level of participation.”
Fortunately, the program did not entirely stop during the pandemic. In the early stages when restrictions were at their highest, community members and groups could sponsor meals from Beehive Café in Morgantown, which were offered to families three times a week.
On July 18, 2022, the program invited WVU Medicine employees to resume in-house cooking, with pharmacy leadership and resident administration being the first to do so.
Kanosky hopes many of the long-time community supporters will rejoin WVU Medicine volunteers to revitalize this program.
Marsha Knight, of Harrisville, noted how helpful the meals have been when available during her stay at RFH.
“It is so convenient to just go to the kitchen and have a meal ready. I’m often too busy or stressed to think about cooking,” she said. “I also look forward to a meal that’s not fast food.”
Knight has spent the last 36 days at the RFH supporting her husband, who recently underwent a stem cell transplant. Though the length of stay can vary from days to months, most families stay for at least five nights.
RFH has two full kitchens in the dining room that allow the space and equipment guests need to cook their own meals.
“We even have a small stock of food if guests do not have time to go to the grocery store,” Kanosky said. “We also provide snacks and microwavable meals to those who do not have time to eat a full meal here.”
At times, it is the lack of energy that hinders guests from preparing food; something Melanie Christopher, R.N., nurse at the WVU Cancer Institute Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center and recent meal program volunteer, saw first-hand.
“Most were exhausted from spending the day bedside with their loved ones,” she said. “They were so appreciative for a hot, home-cooked meal that they didn’t have to cook.”
This was Christopher’s first time volunteering, but she doesn’t expect it to be her last.
“Every one of us said that we would be willing to participate in this program again in the future.”
To learn more about getting involved with the RFH meal program, visit Support Us – Rosenbaum Family House or contact Kanosky at elizabeth.kanosky@wvumedicine.org.