The Mark Preece Family House
191 Barton Street East, Hamilton, ON
www.markpreecehouse.ca
The Mark Preece Family House is a place many may have heard of, but may not know exactly what it’s for…until a loved one needs it, that is.
The Mark Preece Family House opened in April of 2011, and is a home away from home for families whose loved ones are critical care patients in Hamilton hospitals. Friends and family of the late Dr Mark Preece formed the organization, opening the home on Barton (just west of the General) with 12 family rooms.
They found they were constantly full and turning people away, so in April of 2014 they fundraised to expand to 24 rooms – where they stand today. In addition to the bedrooms, they also offer a main sitting area, a large kitchen and dining room, laundry room, and a couple outdoor patio spaces to the guests.
So why am I talking about The Mark Preece Family House on a food blog?
Because good food is a necessary part of staying healthy, especially while being the caregiver of someone who is critically ill. Those who spend time being a caregiver in the hospital often forget about healthy eating (or eating at all), or are simply too tired to make something for themselves and end up going hungry.
That’s where we come in, Hamilton.
The Mark Preece Family House runs a program called Thyme4Dinner. With this program, individuals or groups in Hamilton are able to go into The Mark Preece Family House kitchen and cook a meal for the families staying there. On average, there are about 25-30 people that your meal would feed.
How does Thyme4Dinner work?
Arrange a day with Pearl at pwolfe@markpreecehouse.ca where you or your group would like to come in to make the meal. Plan your meal, pick up your ingredients and head over to the Mark Preece Kitchen to cook it up. If you love cooking, this is an easy peasy project and you can see the fruits of your labour and feel good about your culinary skills in action! It also makes a great team building exercise for corporate teams.
Once the meal is made, you can either stick around to help serve the food and chat with families, or make it and head out and allow them to enjoy it on their own.
For more information on how to get involved visit http://www.markpreecehouse.ca/donate/wish-list/.
The Mark Preece Family House is also looking to partner with restaurant sponsors for a few evenings here and there, so if you know someone…pass it on!