Executive Summary

Food insecurity is a major public health concern in the United States in which 1 in 5 households with children are food insecure (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2014; Lee et al., 2019; Makelarski et al., 2015). While food insecurity affects adults and children both physically and emotionally (Siefert et al., 2004; Makelarski et al., 2015), little is known about the patterns and food insecurity prevalence in caregivers who have hospitalized children. Research suggests that approximately 25.3% of hospitalized children live in food insecure households (Banach, 2016; Lee et al. 2019). The weight of dealing with a child managing a serious health condition falls heaviest on parents and caregivers. As such, more than half of hospital patients experience food insecurity, and that rate is higher when accounting for inpatient caregivers (i.e., parents, spouses, siblings) (Arnold, 2021).

The need to address issues surrounding food insecurity goes beyond understanding that it is simply a factor for poor health, chronic diseases, and hospitalization (Cook et al., 2004; Cook et al., 2006; Casey et al., 2006; Ryu & Bartfeld, 2012). The Ronald McDonald House of Houston (RMHH) understands the importance of keeping families together and healthy in all aspects including providing nutritious meals at no cost. A partnership between RMHH and the medical community is vital to address health needs for families through the support of volunteers, community advisory council members, and community members. Although families who visit RMHH request hospitality support, their needs for meal assistance and proper nutrition reach far greater than just a bed to sleep on.

The JoyFULL Eats Menu project was created to eliminate hunger faced by RMHH families. In doing so, researching dietary and nutritional needs and creating an expanded menu based on evidence-based nutritional sustenance was the framework used to produce this project. Implementation of the JoyFULL Eats Menu required development and pilot testing of a self-administered questionnaire to assess food preference from guests as well as completing a project plan with a total of 21 JoyFULL Eats menu options that would provide individualized meals to be served at the main house, 7 days a week.