CLEVELAND – Everstream, the business-only fiber network, today announced plans to provide local Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Chapters with a daily meal in seven of its markets for 30 days, beginning today (April 13) in several markets.
Everstream will support the following seven Ronald McDonald House locations — in cities where the company has local offices, to serve an estimated 295 meals daily — feeding between 8 and 100 people at each House, including families and staff.
- Cleveland: Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland
- Chicago: Ronald McDonald House near UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital
- Columbus, Ohio: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio
- Grand Rapids, Michigan: Ronald McDonald House of Western Michigan
- Indianapolis: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana
- Milwaukee: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin
- St. Louis: Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis
Ronald McDonald House programs provide comfort, support and resources to families with ill or injured children being treated at nearby hospitals and medical facilities. Stays can range from one night to several months and sometimes extend to a year or more. There are more than 375 Ronald McDonald House programs globally. Each program compassionately addresses and directly improves the well-being of the diverse children and families they serve.
“This is our opportunity to give back to the communities we serve in a meaningful way at this very difficult time. Everstream is considered an essential business because we deliver and maintain the infrastructure our customers need to remain productive. The impact to our business has been minimal, and it’s our responsibility to help where we can,” said Everstream President and CEO Brett Lindsey.
To further support these seven communities during the current COVID-19 pandemic, Everstream will order meals from local restaurants exclusively to assist as many businesses as possible. Everstream’s local office managers will coordinate the daily order and delivery process. Everstream will provide lunch or dinner for a total of 30 days. Meals and dates will be determined by donation availability and location.
Everstream selected Ronald McDonald House Charities as its corporate beneficiary for 2020, with plans to help RMHC through several regular initiatives and volunteer opportunities across its Midwest footprint.
Year-to-date, Everstream team members have donated their time and resources to packing 678 individual snack packs and 50 family-sized snack packs for RMHC families to grab and go, 15 hospitality bags with personal care items, such as deodorant, toothpaste and razors, and 45 specialty bags for St. Patrick’s Day with candy and novelty items. The company also has donated bulk boxed food items, including fruit and snacks, and several pounds of pull tabs to recycle. Everstream is prepared to resume these activities once it is appropriate to do so or will adapt as needed given current social distancing and shelter-in-place directives.