Ronald McDonald House Family Room in Moncton puts call out for volunteers

The Ronald McDonald house in Moncton is asking for some major support from the community

Hafsah Mohammad has been volunteering at the Ronald McDonald Family Room at The Moncton Hospital in Moncton, N.B., since December 2024 and already, it’s made a huge impact on her.

“This is one of the only places where all sorts of people come together and share space and live together and take care of each other and it feels like a family,” she said.

“You can be starting your day by baking fresh baked bread or spending your afternoon supporting a family going through a tough time with a difficult diagnosis.”

The quiet space located on the second floor near the main entrance provides nutritious meals, games and comfort that can’t always be found at a hospital for families with patients under 18-year old – but it’s not as simple as just leaving the door open.

The Family Room relies on volunteers to help staff the space.

“I think that we would be looking at probably another 30-to-40 volunteers a week for the Moncton area,” explained CEO, Lori Barker.

“I think coming out of the pandemic, there’s definitely been a shift as far as those that are getting back out in the community and giving back and volunteering and that’s certainly been the case for us,” she added.

Typically, the space is open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Moncton’s Family Room does have a full-time staff member, but in order for it to operate in the evenings and on weekends, volunteers are needed.

“I’m scheduled regularly for once a week, but right now I’m picking up multiple shifts per week and there’s sometimes when I have child care, I’ll come in and support families here so they can be with their families,” said Mohammad.

She says ideally, there would be at least two volunteers per shift and at the very minimum at least enough volunteers to cover all the opening hours.

“We have three shifts - morning, afternoon and evening and so having multiple people ensures that we can be apart of baking goods or preparing meals,” she explained.

“But when it’s just one person, I’m just doing the bare minimum and just the logistics.”

It’s also a space that Maritime families count on, according to Barker.

“In 2024, looking at that data, we would have supported over 760 families through the Moncton Family Room,” she said.

“When you look at our programs overall, including the Ronald McDonald House in Halifax, about half of the families we serve are from New Brunswick.”

Mohammad says there’s something for everyone when it comes to volunteering and people can get involved by making fresh bread, helping families find resources, or even just being an ear to listen.

“A lot of families don’t have the privilege to go home and get that shower, get that meal, to have just a place to really get a cozy couch to relax in and this space really provides respite for people who are far away from home,” she said.

“There’s so much that you can get from it. I leave every shift, like I said, feeling like I gained more than I can give back.”

Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to reach out to the organization directly.

Barker says there’s opportunities in both Moncton and Halifax.

“We’re getting ready to transition to a new facility shortly also, so with that comes a really big increase in the volunteer makeup even in Halifax, and so our family room in Halifax is also seeing some of those gaps right now,” she said.

“We’ve had to work a little harder to make sure that the awareness is there, that people understand the impact of their volunteering with the organization and just to continue to raise those numbers.”

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