At Ronald McDonald House Western Australia, the most important question is not always medical. It is often far simpler than that. What’s for dinner?
For most families, it is a routine decision, made almost without thought. But for parents sitting beside hospital beds, navigating diagnoses they never imagined and days that stretch longer than they thought possible, it becomes something else entirely, another demand in a day already defined by too many.
And so, when a meal is simply there, warm and prepared, it carries a weight that goes far beyond food.
For the past decade, that certainty has been made possible through a sustained partnership with Mineral Resources Limited (MinRes). It is a collaboration that, on paper, has delivered more than 1.2 million home-cooked meals to Western Australian families. But in reality, it has delivered something far more profound – relief, dignity and the quiet restoration of routine.
The partnership did not begin with scale. It began with people. A small group of MinRes employees, volunteering their time in the charity’s original 18-room house in Subiaco, cooking meals for families they had never met. There was no long-term strategy, no formal structure, just a recognition that in moments of crisis, the smallest acts can carry the greatest impact.
Over time, that instinct evolved into something far more enduring. When Ronald McDonald House WA opened its new 47-room QEII facility in 2015, MinRes formalised its commitment, employing two full-time chefs to ensure that families would always have access to a meal at the end of the day.
Today, close to 3,000 meals are prepared and served each week across Ronald McDonald House at QEII, Ronald McDonald House on Park and Parent Accommodation in Perth Children’s Hospital. More than 80 per cent of families who stay at one of the three accommodation facilities come from regional Western Australia, arriving in Perth far from their homes, their support systems and, often, any sense of normal life.
Chris Ellison, Managing Director of MinRes, says the partnership has always been grounded in that understanding.
“These families are going through an incredibly difficult time, often far from home,” he says. “Knowing that a warm meal is waiting every night takes one worry off the table so they can focus on what matters most, being there for their child.”
It is a simple premise. But it is one that has reshaped the daily experience of thousands of families. Among them is Stephanie Shawcross, her five-year-old daughter Riley lives with a rare genetic mutation known as known as Multisystemic Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome , one of approximately 60 cases worldwide. The incredibly rare condition has defined much of the Margaret River family’s life. At just nine months old, Riley underwent open-heart surgery and recently she was returned to Perth Children’s Hospital for yet another operation. Over the years, Stephanie and her family have spent more than 200 nights at Ronald McDonald House WA.
She is also raising two other children, Kane and Parker, aged seven and two, with her husband Henry. The logistics alone are overwhelming. The emotional toll, immeasurable.
“The stress leaves very little energy to cook,” she says. It is a statement that captures something often overlooked in conversations about care that when families are pushed to their limits, it is not just the big challenges that matter, but the accumulation of small ones.
Meals. Routines. The everyday tasks that, in ordinary circumstances, go unnoticed.
At Ronald McDonald House WA, those tasks are quietly taken care of.
Each evening, families return from the hospital to find meals prepared not just functional, but thoughtful, nourishing and often restaurant quality. It is an experience that restores more than energy. It restores a sense of normalcy.
Behind those meals are two chefs whose work has become central to the rhythm of the House.
Tommy Zeng and Zi Chonnoo are not just preparing food, they are sustaining families. Zi has spent seven years in the role, Tommy four. Together, they have helped deliver tens of thousands of meals, each one part of a system designed not just to feed, but to care.
“It’s the most rewarding job,” they say.
To mark 10 years, MinRes and Ronald McDonald House WA have released A Decade of Dinners, a cookbook that brings together recipes from the House kitchen alongside the stories that have unfolded around them. It is, in many ways, a record of the partnership itself grounded in practicality, but shaped by people.
“We’re delighted to celebrate the past decade with this cookbook,” Ellison says. “When you cook one of these meals, we hope you think of the strength and resilience of these families and the incredible people who support them.”
Ronald McDonald House WA Chief Executive Officer Peter King said MinRes' support had made a meaningful difference to thousands of Western Australian families.
"A warm, nourishing meal can make an incredible difference for families with ill or injured children. MinRes' support helps ease some of the daily pressures they face, allowing them to spend more time together as a family during an incredibly challenging period," Mr King said.
"MinRes' ongoing commitment to Ronald McDonald House WA and the families we serve reflects the true spirit of community partnership. We are deeply grateful for all we have achieved together and look forward to continuing this important work in the years ahead."
To Download the FREE Cookbook visit MinRes Ronald McDonald House WA cookbook by Mineral_Resources - Issuu
By Hearts and Minds
