11-03-2025
Kitchen remodel underway at Ronald McDonald House
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — An organization that helps families who have kids receiving hospital care is getting an upgrade at one of its Sioux Falls locations.
The kitchen at the Ronald McDonald House near Sanford's main campus is getting a new look.
Broadway's longest-running musical 'Chicago' hits Sioux Falls
'It's going to look really nice, really bright. The old one was dark wood work. This one is light wood work,' Hjellming Construction President Scott Hjellming said.
Hjellming is also a board member of of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Dakota.
His business is one of several donating time, products, and materials for the remodeling project.
Hjelling says the other businesses are Sioux Falls Kitchen and Bath, Karl's, Montgomery's, and Cambria/Creative Surfaces.
Supporters have also helped raise over $100,000 for the new kitchen.
'It's just more efficiently laid out, so it's going to be easier for them to prepare meals,' Hjellming said.
The Ronald McDonald House serves over 1,000 families each year between its two Sioux Falls locations.
'This house is something really special, but I will tell you what, it is used, and when you have 1,000 families coming through every single year, the wear and tear is 20 times more than what our own house's wear and tear is,' said Jessica Arend, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Dakota Chief Development Officer.
Because the main kitchen is under construction, the Ronald McDonald House has set up a makeshift kitchen for families to use.
Donors and restaurants are also providing meals.
'We're still making sure that families are eating nutritious, healthy meals,' Arend said.
The project should be wrapped up in about five weeks.
'These families are here because their children are in the children's hospital. They really need somewhere to come back and cook a good meal and have good food to eat and stuff like that in place to relax, so something new and better and easier to use will make their day a lot better,' Hjellming said.
If you'd like to help provide meals for the Ronald McDonald Houses, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
