ST. LOUIS — Matt Borchardt isn’t wearing a hard hat or carrying around a hammer through the hollowed-out walls of the under-construction Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis City. He is however, playing an integral role at the charity house.
“I want to make sure everyone is fed at all times,” Borchardt explained to donors touring the Ronald McDonald House on Choteau Avenue.
Borchardt will be the executive chef for the new Ronald McDonald House.
“It truly is a home away from home,” he said.
The charity house gives families a place to stay while their child undergoes prolonged medical treatment. A temporary home, Borchardt knows all too well.
“It holds a special place in my heart because I was in touch with it through my own children.” Borchardt told FOX 2 on Monday.
Borchardt and his wife are adoptive parents and, at one point, needed to stay at a Ronald McDonald House while their seven-week-old son was admitted to a children’s hospital for weeks.
“At that moment, I decided I was going to do whatever I could for the charity,” Borchardt said.
Borchardt became a donor and earlier this year he was named executive chef of the house set to open next summer. On Monday, donors got a sneak peek of the new facility, along with CEO Dan Harbaugh.
“We are just really blown away by the progress that the building has shown in one year and how quick it’s going up,” Harbaugh told FOX 2 on Monday.
In six months, the Ronald McDonald House will serve around 70 families and Borchardt will be right there providing support for families in a situation he was once in himself.
“It’s a special charity and we do some amazing things for families,” Borchardt said.
The house is expected to open in April and begin hosting families later in June or July. You can find more information about the charity by clicking here.
