Meet part of the "volunteer family" at Philadelphia's Ronald McDonald House
Volunteers are at the core of every Ronald McDonald House. At the Ronald McDonald House Charities' first home on Chestnut Street, two grandmothers who help make the house feel like home, work at the front desk.
Meet Marlene Graub and Sharon McCabe.
"I started volunteering 25 years ago," Graub said, "and eight years ago, Sharon started at the house."
That's when they became fast friends. You can find the two at the Philadelphia house like clockwork from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. every week.
From answering phones to taking temperatures and getting supplies, the volunteers are helping the families living at the house with whatever they need.
"It's a very rewarding place to be. We see people in all stages of their life," McCabe said. "They have some very serious issues that they're dealing with."
A rewarding place with a growing "volunteer family."
"Whether it be the kitchen, front desk, van drivers, we need volunteers," Graub said. "It's just so rewarding. I would not have been doing it this long if it wasn't this rewarding."
It's five hours every week these two cherish.
"We know a lot about each other," McCabe said with a laugh.
They talk about everything from weddings to grandchildren.
Graub and McCabe even spend time with each other outside of the house — and with other volunteers. Between the two houses and the family rooms in the city, more than 280 people regularly volunteer, but more are always needed.
